WSSN Stories

By Lou Yeboah

At 2:45 p.m. on Friday, local time, in the year of 2011, life was normal in Japan.

People were working. Students were in class. Shoppers were in grocery stores. Trains were running and passengers were loading airplanes. Banks were open, government officials were in meetings, and lovers were thinking of dinner dates later that night. Power plants were running smoothly, roads were in the right place, and dock workers were preparing goods to be loaded on cargo ships.

At 2:46, without warning, the earth began to shake.

When it comes to earthquakes and tsunamis, Japan is the most prepared country in the world. Immediately, power was cut off to all power plants. Warning signals blared across the land. Students dove under desks, just as they’d been trained to do. Buildings swayed, but did not fall, just as they’d been built to do. Government, military and law enforcement officials went into emergency mode, just as they’d all drilled to do.

But the earth kept shaking.

Eighty miles out, in the deep blue seascape of the Pacific Ocean, six miles above the massive movements of the earth’s plates, salt water was being churned and tossed about with a force far stronger than any force ever created by man. The first waves slammed into the shoreline two hours later, 23 feet above the beaches that had been so calm just an hour earlier. Cars, ships, houses and chucks of roadway were swept along with the water, destroying everything in the path of the surge.

The aftershocks came, one after another, until more than 50 had been recorded.

By the time the first waves receded into the sea, preparing for yet another blast of water and houses and cars and explosions, hundreds of bodies were already among the litter. At sea, a ship loaded with 100 people was swept away. Tankers were flipped over in their harbors. A passenger train is missing. The whole thing. Missing. The waterfront of Sendai burns out of control, and firefighters can’t reach the area. All roads are broken, or missing.

Inland, 30 miles from the coast, and 50 miles from the worst of the damage, a dam in one town breaks, immediately sending a torrent of water through residential neighborhoods. By the time the damage is surveyed, 1,800 homes had been destroyed in an area that should have felt safe from the danger of a tsunami. Landslides triggered by the earthquake quickly buried other communities, while people were still inside the buildings. As far south as Tokyo, ambulances lined up outside a school where a roof had collapsed on an unknown number of students, teachers, and parents who had gathered for graduation ceremonies. With the collapse of infrastructure, six million homes lost power, and millions of people were looking for food and fresh water within the day. Many of them resorted to walking on the broken highways, hoping to find a way to survive on higher ground.

And on the horizon loomed the worst news of all. There were critical, potentially devastating, problems developing at a nuclear power plant.

Warnings were issued for countries all around the Pacific rim, and Hawaii braced for the worst. The tsunami raced across the surface of the ocean at more than 200 miles per hour, and visions of more destruction terrify coastal communities from Indonesia to New Zealand to the Americas.

Two hours and 14 minutes after the first tremor, officials announce that the death toll was expected to top 1,000. Even as they made the announcement, a magnitude 6.6 earthquake shook central Japan, and skyscrapers in Tokyo swayed as if they were drunk. When it was all over with, the death toll 15, 897.

Such is the nature of an unexpected storm.

This message is to once again warn you that Jesus is coming unexpectedly. As Jesus told the disciples, get into the boat that would take you all across the lake. The disciples survived their storm at sea only because Jesus was in the boat. The key to surviving life’s storms – is having a personal relationship with Jesus. You are to “take heed.” If you ignore God’s provision for your soul’s salvation how will you escape the consequences of such neglect? How will you escape His wrath? (John 3:36); His condemnation? [John 3:18]; His word of banishment? [Matthew 26:41].

God is so good, so merciful and so compassionate.  The Scripture says: “it is not the will of God that we should perish.” We are at that point of time where Judah was before the fall of the empire. But nobody is listening like in the times of King Manasseh. Nobody is listening to the Holy Spirit. Jesus said, “Repent, and believe the gospel because your redemption is drawing near.  I have not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance. [Luke 5:32].  “As surely as I live, declares the Sovereign Lord, I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that they turn from their ways and live. Turn! Turn from your evil ways! Why will you die?” (Ezekiel 33:11) Jesus died for you. Why will you die?

God gives only a certain time to repent, and after that point, it’s too late. Case in point, Jezebel. God said, “I have given her time to repent of her immorality, but she is unwilling…” [Revelation 2:21-23]… The Bible is full of examples of people given time to repent but they refused: [Genesis 4; Jeremiah 5:3, Amos 4:6, Zephaniah 3:2, and Zechariah 7:1] to name just a few. [2Peter 3:9] tells us, “The Lord is patient towards us. He is not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.” That’s God’s heart. He wants us to repent. That why He gives us time to repent. That’s why He pleads with us to repent. That’s why He sends people; ministers, preachers, friends, family members who beg us to repent. Jezebel was not ignorant of her sin. She knew what she was doing, and she refused to repent.  Therefore it became too late for her to repent – not because God wouldn’t pardon her, but because she had hardened her heart. Jezebel had been confronted, she’s resisted, and she refused to repent. Don’t be a Jezebel. The door of repentance is still open. There’s still hope, but not forever.… [Hebrews 12:17]… God’s EMS- This is not a test- Action is required. Repent!

Written by Keith McCarter

Pursuant to California Law CALCRIM No. 3470.  You have the right to defend another person if 1. You reasonably believed that person is in imminent danger of suffering bodily injury or is in imminent danger of being touched unlawfully, 2.  You reasonably believed that the immediate use of force was necessary to defend against that danger, AND 3. You used no more force than was reasonably necessary to defend against that danger.

Keep in mind, When an officer is acting within his supposed realm of duty, this is referred to as acting under the color of title.  So then the question becomes, DOES AN ORDINARY CITIZEN HAVE A CLAIM OF DEFENSE OF OTHERS WHENTHE PERPETRATOR IS A POLICE OFFICER.

This is where my message begins.  It is my opinion that no one, including those acting under color of title has the right to take the life of another if that person is not posing a threat.  It is legal to interfere with an altercation of an officer who is wrongfully killing a man.

To better understand this point let’s look at what happened in Minnesota and what possible options could have been taken by ordinary people to prevent the death of the victim.

ORDINARY PEOPLE CAN PREVENT A WRONGFUL DEATH.  Many were standing around yelling, screaming and filming the policemen.  I think we can agree that prong one and two ‘defense of others’ apply here.  The most important question becomes what amount of force ordinary people can use to prevent the death of another-“no more force than is necessary”.  Now we consider some action options for ordinary people to consider.

Option one-people can throw rocks and other bottles and other none deadly items at the officers and even at the police vehicle until the policeman removes his knee from the neck of the victim.  This is a safe bet because you are using none deadly force to try to stop a person from using deadly force.

Option two-people can charge the officers and attempt to subdue the officers until the threat to the victim is neutralized.  Since the policemen have guns this should only be done when there are a large number of ordinary people who are willing to physically charge and subdue the officers.  I suggest there should be at least four people per officer-One person to target each of the four limbs to immobilize the officer from using his gun.  This is also a safe bet for a successful claim of defense of others but a bit dangerous.  However, increasing the level of danger to many to save the life of one is worth the risk in my opinion.

Option three-an ordinary person who is legally carrying a gun can draw the gun on the police officers and demand for the office to remove his knee from the victim’s neck.  This option is obviously the most dangerous and the less likely to result in the ordinary person successfully claiming defense of others.  However, if done as a group, with at least one gun carrying ordinary person to each police officer, the defense may be successful as long as the citizens holster their weapons after the officer removes his knee from the neck of the victim.

When you see a police officer abusing his color of title, these are some of the options you can consider.  I believe 50 years of peacefully marching has not alleviated the problem of preventing policemen from senselessly killing Black Men.  At this time, the citizens need to police those who are charged with the privilege of policing our community to ensure that they perform their duty righteously.

These are my opinions.  I am not attempting to give legal advice on this matter nor am I qualified to do so.  My opinion in a nutshell is very simple.  If a policeman is killing a man who is handcuffed and poses no threat to the officer or society, then an ordinary citizen can use deadly force to prevent that ensuing death.

If you are afraid of going to prison for defending the life of another, then perhaps this will give you some comfort.  Just as a police officer who murders a black man and is later sent to prison will be protected and idealized by white supremacist gangs in the prison, so will a man who prevented the death of a handcuffed police victim be protected by the Black and Brown gangs inside the prison walls.

If you see a police officer murdering someone in the street, what would you do-voice, camera, rocks or gun?

I will be applying for my open carry permit tomorrow.

SACRAMENTO, CA—- The California Legislative Black Caucus (CLBC) had sobering words for Californians during its press conference today in Sacramento. They convened the event in response to the death of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police officers.

The tone was set by Assemblymember Shirley N. Weber, Ph.D. (D-San Diego), Chair of the CLBC, who offered a reminder that American society has not really addressed the fundamental injustices committed against Black men, women and children.

“The issue we face in this country is the direct result of the enslavement, the continued mistreatment, the lynching and the attempts at genocide of Blacks,” Weber said. “This country has taught itself to hate African Americans. The death of George Floyd is a brutal illustration that we have not come to terms with that.”

Weber noted that focus on injustice is actually short-lived.

“There have been repeated uprisings – each as a result of the police brutality over the years – but that the outrage at the brutality of the taking of an innocent life is soon drowned out by outrage over the destruction of property,” Weber said. “Nobody condones looting or rioting. But what is often lost is that a Black man is dead, and we have not addressed how to stop that from happening.

“Our job as Black lawmakers is to be vigilant and persistent,” she said.

In recent years, the CLBC has been forceful in addressing these issues through legislation, including AB 392, which restricted law enforcement’s use of deadly force.

This year, the Caucus introduced an ambitious slate of legislation to address some of the issues that face African Americans, including reinstating Affirmative Action, eliminating debilitating court fees, increasing accountability for educational funds aimed at closing the achievement gap, establishing a commission to justify reparations, and affirming a right for housing for women and children in California. You can find a full list of current CLBC legislation here.

High profile acts of violence against African American men have been recorded and broadcast widely in recent weeks, including the death of a Minneapolis man, George Floyd.

USC experts share their expertise on how racial violence and recordings of these episodes intersect with history, law and health outcomes in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Even Ivy League degrees don’t protect African Americans

“A deathly disregard for black lives is the blood red thread stitched into the very fabric of our nation. As a historian of the black past, I am all too familiar with the litany of torture, lynchings, rapes, false imprisonment, peonage, convict leasing, mass incarceration and medical apartheid from 1619 to 2020.  As the mother of two black men, I live in fear of their injury, arrest or demise at the hands of a capricious passerby, contemptuous police officers, or uncaring physicians. The casual refusal by every level of government of black men and women’s right to breathe, bird or just be in their own bed or kitchen or car is soul crushing. 

“My three Ivy League degrees do not provide me with any more PPE against racism and white supremacy than Christian Cooper’s Harvard B.A. did in Central Park.”

Francille Rusan Wilson is an associate professor of American Studies and Ethnicity, History, Gender & Sexuality Studies at the USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences and the immediate past president of the Association of Black Women Historians.

Contact: frwilson@usc.edu

Police racial violence should be every American’s concern

“The core concern of the #BlackLivesMatter movement from its very inception has been the indifference or outright hostility of state actors like police officers and prosecutors to the value of black lives. Unlike private individuals, when state actors attack and disrespect citizens, they implicate all Americans because they act in our name and on our behalf. When a police officer is killed in the line of duty, law enforcement representatives have been quick to assert that an attack on an officer is an attack on America.

“By the same token, when an officer unjustifiably brutalizes or kills a black person, that’s not just a private citizen attacking another private citizen, that’s America assailing that black man, woman, or child. Cops don’t get to be equated with America when they are victims but then reduced to ordinary private citizens when they are victimizers.”

Jody Armour studies the intersection of race and legal decision making as well as torts and tort reform movements as the Roy P. Crocker Professor of Law at USC Gould School of Law.

Contact: armour@law.usc.edu or (213) 740-2559

The loop of videos takes a toll on kids

“My work has shown that when adolescents of color watch viral videos of police racial violence online, that exposure is associated with increased depressive symptoms and post-traumatic stress symptoms.”

“During the coronavirus pandemic, students’ classes and social lives are almost entirely online. Previously, young people had a traditional setting where they could find in-person social support if they are feeling overwhelmed by what they are seeing in digital spaces and not ready to share with members of their family. Now, young people may not have that buffer against poor mental health outcomes.

“We can’t underestimate the importance of touch and the ability to see the physical cues that someone is in distress. There is power in the in-person connections people make that we haven’t yet been able to replicate in the most common digital contexts.”

Brendesha Tynes is an associate professor of education and psychology at the USC Rossier School of Education. Her recent research has examined the association between exposure to violent racial videos online and mental health in African American and Latinx adolescents.

Contact: btynes@usc.edu

Images of racial violence can be exploitative

“To me, airing the tragic footage on TV, in auto-play videos on websites and social media is no longer serving its social justice purpose, and is now simply exploitative.

“Likening the fatal footage of Ahmaud Arbery and George Floyd to lynching photographs invites us to treat them more thoughtfully. We can respect these images. We can handle them with care.

“It’s time to revisit the relationship we have with cellphone videos and social media. Trauma is compounding for many African Americans, who are already fighting a separate, disproportionate battle against COVID-19.”

Allissa Richardson is an assistant professor of communication and journalism at the USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism and the author of the book, Bearing Witness While Black: African Americans, Smartphones and the New Protest #Journalism.

Contact: allissar@usc.edu or (213) 740-9700

Stress from racism leads to poor health outcomes

“For African Americans, the most stressful part of experiencing discrimination is not knowing when it’s going to happen next. That’s the key. Widely-circulated videos of violence against black people add to this anticipatory anxiety.

“This has implications for African Americans’ health outcomes during the coronavirus pandemic. Chronic stress can alter the expression of genes that are involved in both the antiviral and the inflammatory response. Chronic inflammation is involved in a number of health conditions including autoimmune conditions, diabetes and obesity. There have been several studies showing higher inflammatory markers in African Americans, so it’s not surprising that this group is disproportionately impacted and dying at higher rates from COVID-19.”

April Thames is an associate professor of psychology and psychiatry at the USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences. Her research has focused on how racist experiences increase inflammation in African American individuals, raising their risk of chronic illness.

Contact: thames@usc.edu

According to CNN, Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison is increasing charges against former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin to second-degree murder in George Floyd’s killing and also charging the other three officers involved in the incident, according to a tweet from US Sen. Amy Klobuchar.

Ellison’s official announcement is expected to come Wednesday afternoon, more than a week after Floyd was killed while in police custody in Minneapolis, sparking nationwide protests that call for the end to police violence against black citizens.

Chauvin, who had his knee pressed into Floyd’s neck for nearly nine minutes, had previously been charged with third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter. Officers Thomas Lane and J.A. Keung, who helped restrain Floyd, and a fourth officer, Tou Thao, who stood near the others, were not initially charged.

Two autopsies on Floyd determined that he died by homicide. Minneapolis Police chief Medaria Arradondo fired the four officers and said they were “complicit” in Floyd’s death. Floyd’s family and protesters nationwide have called for them to be arrested and convicted for the killing.

George Floyd died while in police custody on May 25 in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

According to the video and the criminal complaint, Chauvin kept his knee on Floyd’s neck as Floyd pleaded that he could not breathe, as witnesses protested that he was dying, and even as Lane twice asked to turn him onto his side. Still, Chauvin kept his knee on his neck for almost three minutes after Floyd became unresponsive, the complaint states.

Benjamin Crump, an attorney for the Floyd family, said on Twitter that the family was gratifiedwith the new charges. 

“FAMILY REACTION: This is a bittersweet moment. We are deeply gratified that (Ellison) took decisive action, arresting & charging ALL the officers involved in #GeorgeFloyd’s death & upgrading the charge against Derek Chauvin to felony second-degree murder,” he said.

Under Minnesota law, third-degree murder is defined as causing the death of a person “by perpetrating an act eminently dangerous to others and evincing a depraved mind,” without regard for life but without intent to kill.

Second-degree murder, a more serious charge, is defined as when a person causes the death of another with intent to effect the death of that person but without premeditation.

Minnesota AG cautioned for patience

Ellison was appointed by Gov. Tim Walz to take over the case from Hennepin County Attorney Mike Freeman on Sunday.

Why the three other officers in George Floyd’s death have not been charged — yet

A former Demoratic congressman, Ellison previously said that he had “every expectation” that charges will be filed against the officers and that he hoped they’d come soon. But on Monday, after taking over the case, he cautioned against a rush to judgment and said prosecutors will be careful and methodical in bringing charges.

“We are moving as expeditiously, quickly and effectively as we can,” he said. “But I need to protect this prosecution. I am not going to create a situation where somebody can say this was a rush to judgement.”

Police officers are rarely charged with crimes for violence against black men, and even in those rare cases, juries have repeatedly shown an unwillingness to convict. The list of such failed cases is long.

In 2017, for example, the Minnesota police officer who fatally shot Castile was found not guilty of second-degree manslaughter and intentional discharge of firearm that endangers safety.

After Minneapolis to Louisville

By Dr. DeForest B. Soaries, Jr.

Let us be clear: we need law enforcement. That is undeniably true. Having been abducted at gunpoint and saved by a white police officer myself, I will never deny the need for police. But I also cannot deny that we have a problem that is much larger and deeper than one, two, or even a handful of incidents.

What is true is that the legitimate protest that has emerged in response to the death of George Floyd is addressing the same issues that the legendary civil rights movement of the 1950s and 1960s addressed. What is also true is that in 1968 The President’s National Advisory Commission on Civil Disorders—known as the Kerner Commission—released its report, condemning racism as the primary cause of the surge of riots that occurred in the mid-late 1960s. Headed by then Illinois Governor Otto Kerner the 11-member commission was appointed by President Lyndon B. Johnson in July 1967 to uncover the causes of urban riots and recommend solutions. It is true that the Commission report in 1968, which declared that “our nation is moving toward two societies, one black, one white—separate and unequal,” called for expanded aid to African American communities to prevent further racial violence and polarization. Unless drastic and costly remedies were undertaken at once, the report said, there would be a “continuing polarization of the American community and, ultimately, the destruction of basic democratic values.” But the Commission report did not awaken America to the awareness that institutionally law enforcement agencies were both the perpetrator and defender of the racism that would cause even economically and socially successful blacks to live in a perpetual nightmare.

It is true that the election of hundreds of black mayors, county officials, state legislators, congresspersons and even a black president has not had a measurable impact on this issue. And it is true that the protests that are occurring right now are likely to fail to result in creating long term, sustainable change. It is true that the protests in response to the Minnesota incident may influence the disposition of the cases that will be brought against the men responsible for the death of George Floyd. But the lack of coherent strategy, the lack of disciplined action, the lack of experienced organization, and the absence of long term, comprehensive policy initiatives all minimize the sustainable impact that will result from this formidable showing of discontent.

One intelligent, articulate, and passionate 30-year-old activist lamented that he suspects that the youthful crowds will return to their normal disconnected lives after a few more days of televised outrage. This is what has happened even in the era of video recordings of beatings and killings. And the sincere, most vulnerable young people that need the change the most will have contributed to the rise in prominence of “celebrity” activists – some new, some old – and will live on without the needed police reforms but also education, jobs, and access to health care. But they will be available for the next protest after a police shooting.

This protest is revealing a unique surge of serious concern among the demographic that seems to normally be preoccupied with fake reality TV and celebrating vulgarity and nudity wrapped in musical genres. As commendable as it is, our current “social uprising” lacks the guidance and the substance needed to know the definition of victory. For the past fifty years, blacks have behaved as if simply putting other blacks in the right positions constituted a victory for all black people. So, it must be excruciatingly painful to their otherwise political saviors when these young protesters seem to sense no substantial difference between their new, diverse political representatives and the former urban, white political machine despots. Many of them are railing against and expressing distrust in cities held by black mayors just as the activists of the sixties expressed no confidence in southern racist sheriffs.

And they lack formal, credible, trained leadership. Their base is comprised of fragmented grassroots sympathizers and their fragile organizational infrastructures have allowed them to be infiltrated and at times upstaged by those whose goal is chaos and destruction rather than justice and progress. Organization was a key to civil rights era successes.

A social movement in America is by definition legitimate only to the extent that its goal is to make America a better democracy. Any other goal is too narrow, shallow, and self-serving to deserve broad sympathy and support. This means that the core of a legitimate movement or protest must be the belief that America is worth improving and able to improve. Anything other than that is not much more than group selfies claiming bragging rights for cursing at the enemy government officials with impunity. That kind of movement cannot allow real progress to occur because it needs the problem to justify its existence.

The civil rights movement wanted to work itself out of a job. And its leaders knew what that looked like. Desegregation. Legal rights equal to other Americans. Support to catch up to historic deprival. The policing issue needs similarly concrete goals. And the “movement” for justice needs to define what justice means in the aftermath of the George Floyd moment. It must be more than hashtags, slogans, and periodic marches. We need a seven-part agenda:

1. We must find diverse communities that exemplify excellent police-community relations. We must study those communities, dissect the parts of their strategy to discover why it is working effectively, document the model, and promote it as a best practice. Communities must be incentivized to tailor the principles for use in their locale and replicate the model. We may want to start with Genesee County Michigan where Sheriff Chris Swanson marched with protesters in Flint, Michigan this past weekend.
2. We must increase penalties for abusive behavior by law enforcement officials and implement no tolerance practices for police misconduct. This includes lowering the threshold for charging law enforcement officials with violating the civil rights of citizens.
3. We must create independent commissions that review, evaluate, revise, and monitor the use of training manuals, procedures, and practices in law enforcement agencies.
4. We must recruit, train, and promote law enforcement personnel that possess the psychological, emotional, and cultural capacity for law enforcement work and assess them every three years to ensure that they have maintained that capacity.
5. We must incentivize law enforcement personnel to breach the “blue wall” of silence even as we motivate communities to oppose the “don’t snitch” culture.
6. We need a national database of law enforcement who were terminated for misconduct and ban them from working in other law enforcement agencies.
7. We must elect political representatives that support this agenda and hold them accountable for follow-through.

If the activist energy that is currently being displayed can be harnessed into support for a concrete agenda, then we may be able to unify our country and start working on the next issue that threatens the greatness that we all desire for our country. 

By Dr. DeForest B. Soaries, Jr.

First Baptist Church of Lincoln Gardens, Senior Pastor

Former New Jersey Secretary of State

dfree® Financial Freedom Movement, CEO & Founder

Los Angeles County will be under a countywide curfew that runs from 6 p.m. today, June 2, 2020, through 6 a.m. on Wednesday, June 3, 2020.

The curfew does not apply to individuals voting in Special Elections occurring today in the City of Commerce and in El Rancho Unified School District in Pico Rivera. In both elections, all voters were mailed ballots and the Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk has one mobile vote center in each jurisdiction that has been open daily since Saturday and will be open today until 8 p.m. Poll workers are also exempt from the order.

This is the third night of a countywide curfew ordered to protect public safety. 

The County curfew applies to every municipality in Los Angeles County, but cities can implement stricter curfews based on their local needs. Please check with your local city to determine if they have implemented stricter curfews.

In addition to voters and poll workers being exempt, the countywide curfew does not apply to the following: peace officers; firefighters; National Guard or other military personnel deployed to the area; emergency medical services personnel; individuals traveling to and from work; individuals working on a public work of improvement construction project; credentialed media representatives involved in news gathering; people experiencing homelessness and without access to a viable shelter; and individuals seeking medical treatment.

The following cities have already implemented stricter curfews:

• Beverly Hills – June 2nd curfew starting at 1 p.m. 
• Culver City – June 2nd curfew starting at 4 p.m.
• Santa Monica –  June 2nd curfew starting at 2 p.m.
• West Hollywood – June 2nd curfew starting at 4 p.m.

Visit lacounty.gov/emergency for the most up-to-date information.

June is Men’s Health Month

By Dr. John Chang, Chief Medical Officer, UnitedHealthcare of California

June is Men’s Health Month!  This annual observance brings added significance this year given the health challenges men may face in general and specifically to COVID-19. For instance, research shows men are more likely than women to experience worse outcomes due to COVID-19, including double the risk of death.

Independent of COVID-19, men also have a lower life expectancy (76 years for men vs. 81 years for women); a lower likelihood of visits to the doctor (76% of men had seen a doctor in the last year vs. 92% of women); and a higher risk of being overweight or obese (nearly 71% for men vs. 59% for women).

With that in mind, here are tips for men and families in California to consider as we celebrate Men’s Health Month!

Be a Masked Man: While initial COVID-19 guidelines may have suggested otherwise, federal and international health authorities now recommend the use of masks when people are outside the home and unable to maintain at least six feet of distance from others. In fact, a recent study found widespread mask wearing can reduce the spread of COVID-19 by as much as 80%.  Even so, the adoption of masks remains mixed, especially among men: Just 56% of men said they had worn a mask outside the home, compared to 67% of women. Tightly fitting home-made masks, including ones of cotton or silk, may provide protection for yourself and others.     

Prevention is Important: Men are three-times more likely than women to go a year without visiting the doctor, and nearly twice as likely to be without a regular go-to physician in times of sickness. This behavior may be reinforced by COVID-19, which has prompted some people to skip medical care, including wellness visits or chronic care management. Urgent health issues, including persistent chest pains, head injuries or signs of stroke such as sudden numbness in the face arm or leg, should not be ignored. To help encourage health, now is the time to schedule an annual wellness visit with your primary care physician, providing an opportunity to detect potential health issues early. If in-person appointments may be a concern due to potential exposure to COVID-19, telehealth resources are now enabling more people to connect with a health care professional, including for urgent medical care and on-going disease management.  

Reduce Risky Behavior: Research suggests that men may take more risks than women, with this type of perilous behavior potentially manifesting itself in some unfortunate consequences. For example, men are more likely to be addicted to alcohol and tobacco than women; men are twice as likely as women to binge drink; and men use illicit drugs at more than double the rate of women. What’s more, some men may be prone to push themselves physically, such as attempting a marathon, triathlon or an extreme sport. It’s a good idea to check with your physician before you engage in any extreme sport and start a slow and steady training routine. 

Remember Behavioral Health: The pandemic – and associated economic challenges – may be triggering more stress and anxiety. Unfortunately, research shows that men are less likely than women to seek help, particularly for depression and other behavioral health issues. One potential barrier may be that some men might be embarrassed to ask for this type of assistance. To help with that, men may consider a virtual visit with a mental health provider via a mobile device or computer, a service that may already be available as part of their health care benefits. Virtual visits may shorten wait times for an appointment, fit schedules, and eliminate travel time and expense. And, research shows that outcomes of a virtual visit with a mental health provider may be similar to in-person sessions for multiple behavioral health issues.

Considering these tips may benefit men now and their families in the future. And by better understanding men’s specific health challenges, especially in connection to COVID-19, we can help men in California  live healthier lives.

Via CBS News

The sight is quite jarring: Four-hundred passenger planes that would normally be zipping through the skies are now parked in the California desert, row after row, with thousands more grounded elsewhere.

Last year, the AAA said 43 million Americans went somewhere on Memorial Day weekend.  This year, the AAA isn’t even making a guess as to how many people will hit the road, but they’re expecting it to be an all-time low.

Travel will bounce back, but for now it’s just inching back, and your experience won’t be nearly the same as before.

Let’s start with your hotel.

Travelers who check back in will have a much different stay, said Hilton CEO Chris Nassetta. “You’ll go to your room with your digital key. You won’t have to touch anything other than your phone. You’ll open your room with your phone.”

And the room you open will have been cleaned like never before: Masked housekeepers will pay special attention to things like light switches and TV remotes, and when they’re done, they’ll put a seal on the door.

“When a housekeeper is done cleaning the room, we will seal it, and you will be the first one in it,” Nasetta said. “And we will not come in it until you leave or until you ask us to come back in it.”

And now, to the skies:

Air travel has dropped by as much as 90 percent, United Airlines is now flying fewer passengers per day than it has pilots.  But for those who are flying, the experience is different, and not necessarily in a good way.

Food service aboard is mostly gone, and if you’ve got to go, one European airline, Ryanair, is making passengers raise their hands for permission to use the lavatories.

That’s not the case for U.S. carriers – yet – but there’s an entirely new disinfecting program.

And no mixed drinks, according to Oscar Munoz, executive chairman of United.

CBS News travel editor Peter Greenberg asked Munoz, “I’m assuming no more pillows on the planes for a while? No more blankets on the planes for a while?”

“Yeah, things of that nature, right? You saw that after 9/11, right? We took out cutlery. And then, you know, things eventually come back. I think once again, in this particular case, once a vaccine is discovered, hopefully, you know, sort of the nervousness dissipates and we can get back to something that’s back to the old normal. But things will definitely change.”

Like other airlines, United already has systems in place to make flying safer – better cleaning of seat-backs and tray tables, and things like electrostatic sprayers to disinfect every nook and cranny.

But social distancing is pretty much impossible on a plane, and United was called out a few weeks ago when a passenger tweeted a photo of a packed flight:

I guess @united is relaxing their social distancing policy these days? Every seat full on this 737 pic.twitter.com/rqWeoIUPqL

— Ethan Weiss (@ethanjweiss) May 9, 2020

Greenberg asked, “You had a flight recently that, you know, went viral with somebody claiming that, ‘My God, there was no social distancing at all.’ What have you done about that?”

“We are gonna let you know, if you’re flying on us, a day or two in advance, ‘Hey, by the way, Peter, the flight that you’re on seems to be over X-percent full’ – 65%, 70%, we’ll figure out a number. ‘If you’re uncomfortable with that, there’s a flight leaving three hours later that, you know, has a lot of capacity.’ And so, if you’re uncomfortable and your plans allow that flexibility, that’s what we’ve sort of pivoted to, to ensure that you have that.”

Besides being less crowded, your upcoming flight may also be cheaper. You can find a lot of bargain fares right now. But since some airlines are losing $100 million a day, you can also expect fewer flights, and more turbulence ahead.

Munoz said, “For now, again, the operative term is to let’s get through this crisis for the time being, and, you know, say a prayer or whatever it is that we do to make sure that not just our industry but that the world writ large becomes a healthier place.”

And when an entire industry has basically been grounded, there’s no place to go but up.

By Manny Otiko?| California Black Media  

California is home to an estimated 11 million immigrants and many of them are Black — from Africa, Latin America, the Caribbean, Europe and other parts of the world.  

According to the Black Alliance for Just Immigration (BAJI) at USC, immigrants make up 6.5 percent of California’s Black population. That figure has doubled since 1980.? 

From Silicon Valley engineers and Hollywood celebrities to medical professionals, small storefront owners, ride share drivers and hotel housekeepers, Black immigrants are as diverse as the general population in California.  

They live in small clusters in inland valley towns and in larger ethnic enclaves in San Diego, San Francisco and Los Angeles — or they blend into suburban communities across the state, according to data collected by California Black Media to support its Census 2020 awareness mapping.  

But many Black immigrants have been uniquely affected by the coronavirus crisis. Like all Californians, they are dealing with the dangers of the disease and the economic and social uncertainties it has caused across the Golden State. At the same time, they are worried about how the global pandemic is affecting relatives back in their homelands.  

Across the United States and in California, large numbers of immigrants work in the healthcare field. Many more are other essential workers, toughing it out on the frontlines working in the service industry or in medical, transportation and sanitation jobs.? 

In California, 35% of all healthcare professionals are immigrants, according to the Migration Policy Institute.  

Mawata Kamara, who is originally from the West African country Liberia, works as an emergency room nurse in San Leandro, a suburb east of the San Francisco Bay in Alameda County. She said that her hospital currently sees about two to three COVID-19 patients a day.? 

According to Kamara, she gets confused trying to keep up with the government’s guidance regarding  the pandemic. For example, she’s currently reusing N95 masks, which used to be forbidden, she says. She also gets a stream of emails with constant updates — sometimes conflicting news — about the virus itself, safety changes or how to treat the disease.? 

“The general feeling of unpreparedness is everywhere,” said Kamara. 

As an African immigrant, Kamara says she sees the unique challenges that Black people, both immigrants and American-born Blacks, face in dealing with COVID-19. One of the reasons the disease has affected the Black community is because many people live in multi-generational families, Kamara says. This makes it very difficult to self-quarantine. Kamara said one of her African co-workers faced this situation when she contracted the disease and didn’t want to take it back home where she lived with several relatives.? 

“Self-quarantine is a luxury most people can’t afford,” she said. 

Kamara has taken to changing her clothes in the garage and cleaning her shoes before she enters the home she shares with her daughter.? 

“I don’t think anyone wants to go to work and bring it back home,” said Kamara. 

Kamara is also concerned about her native country, Liberia, which has been affected by the disease. The country currently has more than 210 COVID-19 infections. About half the patients have survived. Twenty people have died from the disease.? 

Liberia, which has a underdeveloped healthcare system, was devastated by the Ebola pandemic which started in 2014 and resulted in more than 11,000 deaths. Kamara has advised family members who were visiting the country to return to the United States so they can have access to better quality health care.? 

Although coping with the challenges of COVID-19 is grueling for Black immigrants in California like Kamara who are naturalized citizens or have Green Cards, it is even more difficult for those who are undocumented. They did not qualify for the federal $1,200 stimulus payments the federal government has been sending out.  

There are an estimated two million undocumented immigrants in California.  

Earlier this month, Gov. Newsom announced a new $75 million California state program that will provide disaster relief to undocumented immigrants in payments of up to $1,000 per household. The program will begin on Monday May 25, and the money will be awarded on a first-come, first-serve basis. See the list below for organizations that will be distributing the money.  

In Los Angeles, Lyndon Johnson is publisher of CaribPress, a publication that covers West Indian news and events in Southern California, around the United States and in the Caribbean. He is originally from Jamaica. Johnson said the disease presents a unique danger to people from his country because many of them also work in the healthcare field.  

Johnson says some of them are his family members.?“One of my sisters is scared to go to work,” he said.   

Johnson said he recently participated in a Zoom meeting with members of the Jamaican diaspora who connected to talk about how COVID-19 is affecting them.? 

The island of Jamaica has also changed its rules to deal with the disease. Jamaica currently has more than 500 infections and nine deaths. Johnson said people coming in from certain countries are automatically quarantined.  

The Jamaican economy, Johnson says, relies heavily on tourism, but COVID-19 has brought travel to his home country to a halt. According to the Caribbean Journal, Jamaica earned some  $3.3 billion in 2018 from tourism.  

Johnson said the Caribbean Comedy Series, one of the largest West Indian cultural events held in the Los Angeles area, had to be canceled this year. It was supposed to be held in March.  

Many Caribbean community organizations in California and around the country organize annual health missions, where they return home and perform healthcare checkups. Those have all been canceled as well, said Johnson.? 

In San Diego, Chuol Tut, executive director of the South Sudanese Community Center in San Diego, said there are about 4,000 Sudanese (from both South Sudan and North Sudan) living in the San Diego area. He said they are attracted to the area because of the climate, which is similar to their homeland.?? 

South Sudan is the world’s youngest country. It gained its independence in 2011 after years of conflict with Sudan, a country that is 97 percent Muslim. South Sudan is predominantly Christian.? 

Tut said the community has been impacted by the coronavirus outbreak because many of them work in front-line jobs such as drivers, healthcare, casinos and housekeeping. Currently, many of them are out of work.? 

Tut said the center, located in East San Diego, is assisting some of them apply for unemployment benefits because some of them struggle with speaking English.? 

“We try to help them as much as we can,” he said.? 

COVID-19 has also affected the nation of South Sudan. According to Tut, there are currently more than 230 cases and one fatality. Also, the country is a major trading hub with a lot of visitors coming in from neighboring countries such as Kenya, Uganda and Ethiopia. Now the government has established a quarantine zone that stops anyone from coming into the East African county.  

Back on the frontlines of the crisis in California, Kamara says she believes we are not over the worse of the pandemic.  

That’s why she is discouraged by protestors who are demanding businesses reopen. Kamara said too many Americans don’t realize the dangers of  COVID-19 because of misinformation.  

“Until that’s addressed, people won’t take it seriously,” she said.? 

Undocumented Black immigrants who want to apply for California’s coronavirus emergency assistance program should contact the following groups representing their area: 

Northern California: 

California Human Development Corporation 

(707) 228-1338 www.californiahumandevelopment.org/ 

Covering Alpine, Amador, Butte, Calaveras, Colusa, Del Norte, El Dorado, Glenn, Humboldt, Lake, Lassen, Mendocino, Modoc, Napa, Nevada, Pleasure, Plumas, 

 Shasta, Sierra, Siskiyou, Solano, Sonoma Tehama, Trinity 

Bay Area: 

Catholic Charities of California 

Alameda and Contra Costa: www.cceb.org 

Marin, San Francisco, San Mateo: www.catholiccharitiessf.org/ Santa Clara: www.catholiccharitiesscc.org/ 

Central Coast: 

Mixteco / Indígena Community Organizing Project (MICOP) www.mixteco.org/drai/3 

Santa Barbara: (805) 519-7776 

Ventura: (805) 519-7774 

Community Action Board Santa Cruz 

(800) 228-6820 www.cabinc.org/ 

Covering Monterey, San Benito, San Luis Obispo, Santa Cruz 

Central Valley: 

United Farm Workers Foundation (UFWF) 

(877) 527-6660 www.ufwfoundation.org 

Covering Ash, Kern, Kings, Wood, Merced, Tulare and Mono 

California Rural Legal Assistance Foundation (CRLAF) 

(877) 557-0521 www.crlaf.org/drai 

Covering Mariposa, Sacramento, San Joaquin, Stanislaus, Sutter, Tuolumne Yolo and Yuba 

 Los Angeles and Orange County: 

Asian Americans Advancing Justice 

(213) 241-8880 www.advancingjustice-la.org 

Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights (CHIRLA) 

(213) 201-8700 www.chirla.org 

Los Angeles Central American Resource Center (CARECEN) (213) 315-2659 www.carecen-la.org/ 

Inland Empire: 

San Bernardino Community Service Center 

(888) 444-0170, (909) 521-7535 www.sbcscinc.org Covering Inyo, Riverside, San Bernardino 

TODEC Legal Center Perris 

(888) 863-3291 www.TODEC.org 

Covering Inyo, Riverside, San Bernardino 

San Diego and Imperial County 

Jewish Family Service of San Diego Imperial County: 760-206-3242 San Diego County: 858-206-8281