Hey guys, Honda Edmond here and I brought a guest along with me for this Ultimus Week task. Normally, I would be scrambling last minute to get my final points in so that I could grow as a player, bit this season I am glad to be granted the opportunity to switch up and bring something a little different into the mix. The person I brought with me, you all know, but you don't know that you know him. He runs my Twitter page and keeps me in the gym training and keeps me motivated to do better for myself. We grew up in the same neighborhood in Oakland, but he's a bit older than me. He's a pretty reserved and private person, so I won't use his real name in this post, but I'll instead refer to him by his childhood nickname of Goo ( a name he received from his father due to the fact that Goo was constantly drooling as an infant and toddler). The following interaction between he and I took place a few days ago in the midst of the protests Nationwide and more specifically in our home Town of Oakland, California. Goo is an EMT in the Bay Area. A hotbed for COVID 19 and the protests surrounding the murder of George Floyd. I asked Goo to describe the climate in the area and what he sees as both a frontline worker and a black man in the midst of protesting. The following will be told in his own words. Thank you for your time.
Everything was shut down, man....everything. On the rig, we are kind of at the mercy of the public. From when and where we can eat all the way down to the availability of a restroom, we kind of need that public support aspect. When COVID hit, it's like there was this collective disbelief that is was going to be as life altering and devastating as it was. Even me, I'll admit, had my doubts about how bad it would truly was. I figured it would just be a little cold that mad touch down stateside, but would kind of just run its course and we wouldn't be affected much. I'm a man that can admit to being wrong and I, was fucking wrong. First came the new policy and procedures on the ambulances and in the hospitals. There were all these new protective equipment standards and decontamination steps. We always had a certain level of infectious disease protocol, but this stuff was a whole new level of protocol. About that time, people started to get suspicious of each other. A single cough would have the whole room staring at you. Everyone thought they had COVID or would soon get it.
Then it all stopped...
In EMS, we get a bit of a jump on the general public as far as health and safety issues are concerned. We will start to see subtle changes before the counties and state changes anything major most of the time. I had heard whispers of a shut down and shelter in place that would stop just short of a full lockdown. Even I couldn't fathom the lengths and steps would be taken in the next few months. Social distancing, hand washing and personal protective equipment were king. For some reason, all of the toilet paper was gone too. I still don't understand that one. Don't think I ever will. When I went to pick up a patient from any type of nursing facility, I crossed through multiple checkpoints before I would even get to my patient. Once I got there, it was full PPE: gowns, masks, gloves and eye protection. Every patient, every time. It became daily knowledge what my temperature and that of my partner as well. We had to also contend with increased hazard control in the hospitals as well. An ER full of socially distanced beds cuts down the number of patients that the ER can service. I remember seeing a news report by a local station and the reporter was interviewing a woman about the shelter in place restrictions and personal protective equipment guidelines. She proceeded to tell about how she walked by the ER and it was empty. The COVID outdoor treatment sites in the ER weren't filled either. I thought "how simple minded of a thought process can this one person have?" Then the whispers got louder and people got angry. They didn't understand that the ER was not overflowing due to early management of the hospital system. Had the hospitals not taken steps to beef up treatment, later on down the road, the needs of the public would have surpassed the capabilities of health care. Health Care is not meant to play catch up. Health Care is meant to be ahead of the pack. Now things are reopening and I do fear for round 2. There's a reason that I have yet to visit an ER that has reduced it's COVID restrictions and taken down it's field tents. This thing isn't over yet people. Not by a long shot.
Lastly, but just as, if not more, importantly was the murder that took place in Minnesota a few weeks ago. George Floyd was murdered and there is no reason why it should have taken a protest to get his killers arrested. I have seen, and experienced, my share of racism. I usually choose to turn the other cheek and carry on, but everyone has a limit. I'm angry. As an American, I'm angry for what my country thinks about me. As a black man, I'm livid for what we are expected to just "overcome". The systemic racism that exists in our world needs to be demolished. My life should matter to you, just as much as your life matters to me. All lives do matter, but BLACK LIVES MATTER right now. If I burn a house down and the fire department shows up and all of the burning house's neighbors show up asking the firefighters why they aren't spraying water on their houses, the firefighters will tell you that immediate danger that this burning house is in has prioritized it. This is an emergency situation for all of those that look like me. We want a seat at the table. We want our lives to be just as important as everyone else's. I sat in my ambulance and fought back tears seeing people from all walks of life converge to attack this issue. I believe if we all fight alongside each other, we will be able to spot the real threat to our future and act accordingly. Thank you for listening.
Everything was shut down, man....everything. On the rig, we are kind of at the mercy of the public. From when and where we can eat all the way down to the availability of a restroom, we kind of need that public support aspect. When COVID hit, it's like there was this collective disbelief that is was going to be as life altering and devastating as it was. Even me, I'll admit, had my doubts about how bad it would truly was. I figured it would just be a little cold that mad touch down stateside, but would kind of just run its course and we wouldn't be affected much. I'm a man that can admit to being wrong and I, was fucking wrong. First came the new policy and procedures on the ambulances and in the hospitals. There were all these new protective equipment standards and decontamination steps. We always had a certain level of infectious disease protocol, but this stuff was a whole new level of protocol. About that time, people started to get suspicious of each other. A single cough would have the whole room staring at you. Everyone thought they had COVID or would soon get it.
Then it all stopped...
In EMS, we get a bit of a jump on the general public as far as health and safety issues are concerned. We will start to see subtle changes before the counties and state changes anything major most of the time. I had heard whispers of a shut down and shelter in place that would stop just short of a full lockdown. Even I couldn't fathom the lengths and steps would be taken in the next few months. Social distancing, hand washing and personal protective equipment were king. For some reason, all of the toilet paper was gone too. I still don't understand that one. Don't think I ever will. When I went to pick up a patient from any type of nursing facility, I crossed through multiple checkpoints before I would even get to my patient. Once I got there, it was full PPE: gowns, masks, gloves and eye protection. Every patient, every time. It became daily knowledge what my temperature and that of my partner as well. We had to also contend with increased hazard control in the hospitals as well. An ER full of socially distanced beds cuts down the number of patients that the ER can service. I remember seeing a news report by a local station and the reporter was interviewing a woman about the shelter in place restrictions and personal protective equipment guidelines. She proceeded to tell about how she walked by the ER and it was empty. The COVID outdoor treatment sites in the ER weren't filled either. I thought "how simple minded of a thought process can this one person have?" Then the whispers got louder and people got angry. They didn't understand that the ER was not overflowing due to early management of the hospital system. Had the hospitals not taken steps to beef up treatment, later on down the road, the needs of the public would have surpassed the capabilities of health care. Health Care is not meant to play catch up. Health Care is meant to be ahead of the pack. Now things are reopening and I do fear for round 2. There's a reason that I have yet to visit an ER that has reduced it's COVID restrictions and taken down it's field tents. This thing isn't over yet people. Not by a long shot.
Lastly, but just as, if not more, importantly was the murder that took place in Minnesota a few weeks ago. George Floyd was murdered and there is no reason why it should have taken a protest to get his killers arrested. I have seen, and experienced, my share of racism. I usually choose to turn the other cheek and carry on, but everyone has a limit. I'm angry. As an American, I'm angry for what my country thinks about me. As a black man, I'm livid for what we are expected to just "overcome". The systemic racism that exists in our world needs to be demolished. My life should matter to you, just as much as your life matters to me. All lives do matter, but BLACK LIVES MATTER right now. If I burn a house down and the fire department shows up and all of the burning house's neighbors show up asking the firefighters why they aren't spraying water on their houses, the firefighters will tell you that immediate danger that this burning house is in has prioritized it. This is an emergency situation for all of those that look like me. We want a seat at the table. We want our lives to be just as important as everyone else's. I sat in my ambulance and fought back tears seeing people from all walks of life converge to attack this issue. I believe if we all fight alongside each other, we will be able to spot the real threat to our future and act accordingly. Thank you for listening.
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