All officers involved in the George Floyd death now in custody

During the past couple of weeks, protests have continued across the nation demanding change for the death of George Floyd.  Countless amounts of petitions, social media posts, protests, and the unity of those seeking good have finally resulted in a step towards justice.  Derek Chauvin, the officer who kneeled on the back of Floyd's neck ultimately killing him was originally charged with third-degree murder.  Last week, those charges have been escalated and Chauvin is now being charged with second-degree murder.  Following this, the other three officers who were on scene during the arrest and death of Floyd have also been taken into custody and all charged with aiding and abetting second-degree murder.  Though these arrests have been made, the people are still demanding change and hoping to bring an end to police violence and brutality against black citizens.  All former officers are now behind bars awaiting trial and are being held on bail of $1 Million dollars. The charges that the four are facing can lead to sentences ranging from 10-40 years depending on the verdict.  A full investigation is still underway and a trial awaits to determine the fate of these four men.  

Source: https://www.cnn.com/2020/06/03/us/george-floyd-officers-charges/index.html

God Bless America and God Bless Los Angeles

Amidst this whole coronavirus pandemic, a horrible event has taken place over this last week.  On May 25, 2020 George Floyd died at the hands of a Minneapolis Police officer named Derek Chauvin.  Reports state that Floyd tried to use a counterfeit $20 bill at a deli to purchase goods leading to his arrest and ultimately leading to his death.  The official report states that Officer Chauvin kneeled on Floyd's neck for over 8 minutes which is the reported the cause of death.  Days after this incident, protests have emerged across the country hoping to find justice.  Officer Chauvin was arrested and is being held for the death of George Floyd and an ongoing investigation is underway by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).  Minneapolis, Los Angeles, New York City, and countless numbers of cities around the nation have gathered and demanded justice to be served and equality to be established in the US.  This is not the first time that hatful crimes like this have taken place in America, many which have gone unheard.  In the city of Los Angeles, it seems to be feeling a lot like 1992.  The horrible acts of the Los Angeles Police Department led to the brutal beating of Rodney King sparking the LA riots in 1992.  Though these events did not take place in Los Angeles,  they have sparked a nationwide uprising which hopes for a wakening of justice.  Sadly, peaceful protests have escalated to rioting and looting in many cities.  The national guard has been deployed to cities including Minneapolis and Los Angeles to protect its citizens and to establish order, hoping to calm the tension.  I support the demand for justice during this time along with many others.  From one Angeleno during this hard time, we are all in this together.  God bless America and God bless Los Angeles.

Labor Day at the beach as coronavirus deaths nears 100,000

Labor Day is this Monday which happens to be one of the most celebrated holidays of the year.  Unlike previous years, this labor day may have some restrictions when it comes to enjoying the sun on the beach or having a barbeque with the family, or will it?  The nationwide stay at home order is still in effect but it seems that people have other inhibitions when it comes to celebrating this year.  Beaches have just reopened in California and it seems that people have taken advantage of these newly acquired freedoms.  Thousands of people have been crowding the beaches, having family gatherings, and are beginning to re-emerge all across cities around the nation which is worrying many citizens and professionals.  It's inevitable that people are going to celebrate this year's Labor Day on the beach and in the sun and truly is nothing that can be done about it.  Though I believe people should continue to follow the social distancing guidelines, I think that if these guidelines are followed carefully celebrating at the beach or having a family barbeque is totally acceptable.  Over the course of the next month or so, we will begin to see more and more people going out in public, participating in social gatherings, and not following certain government restrictions.  Hopefully, this pandemic will continue to improve and eventually be under control but until then, restrictions and stay at home orders will continue to be broken.

Source: https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2020/05/25/coronavirus-update-us/

       

Life is normal in Sweden

During this coronavirus pandemic, Sweden has taken a different direction in how they are handling things.  Instead of mandated stay at home orders and other rules being set by the government, authorities have instead trusted the common sense and judgment of their citizens.  The Swedish government has told the people to "use common sense" and to not gather in crowds of over 50 people.  Unlike the rest of the world, Sweden seems to be dealing with Covid-19 in a very relaxed manner.  Schools, bars, restaurants, and stores are all open leaving people roaming around with or without the virus.  The government's reasoning for this is that they want people to keep getting the virus in order to slow the pace of the virus and ultimately to build "herd immunity".  Most people who contract the virus will experience mild or no symptoms at all.  This happens to be a good approach as it strives to infect healthy people in order to develop antibodies but higher risk groups need to be protected which Sweden failed to do in the beginning.  Nursing homes were swept with many cases and fatalities due to the fact that masks and other precautions weren't mandatory until later on.  The fatality rate in Sweden is around 12% but it is expected to drop substantially once more cases are confirmed and the same goes for around the world.  Experts around the world expect fatality rates to fall and the WHO projects that 2%-3% of the world's population has developed antibodies.  As more people continue to be tested for the virus and antibodies, governments around the world will begin to have a better idea as to what the real severity of this virus may be.

Source: https://www.webmd.com/lung/news/20200501/sweden-sticks-with-controversial-covid19-approach

French supermarkets keeping masks from hospitals raises question

This past week French supermarkets and stores have promised to make millions of masks available for purchase to citizens across the country to protect them from the COVID-19 virus.  There is a question being raised wondering where all of these deliveries are coming from since there has been an extreme shortage of these supplies.  Once these masks became available Government officials are wondering where all these masks were when hospitals were calling for more masks.  A theory that is starting to gain some traction is that these stores have been stockpiling these masks for months.  These stores are defending themselves assuring that this is not the case and that they rather are receiving shipments just like everyone else.  Another theory that the government is considering that seems to be very shocking is that the stores have the power to get these shipments faster and before the state department which include hospitals.  It does seem a little suspicious of how these stores have acquired such a heavy inventory of masks all of the sudden but it could just be a coincidence.  There is a further investigation going on regarding the manner.

Source: https://www.france24.com/en/20200505-covid-19-sale-of-masks-in-french-supermarkets-sparks-controversy

       

Cause of Death, COVID-19?

Over the last weeks, we have definitely seen the infection and death rates of the novel coronavirus plateau.  Though it may be showing some slowing down, there are many people still showing symptoms and filling up hospitals.  One thing that has raised some concerns is regarding how the cause of death is being recorded in hospitals located in Minnesota.  In most cases, those who are showing symptoms and are admitted to a hospital are tested immediately for the virus and go off of their diagnosis.  Those suffering from some sort of health issue when being admitted or currently in a hospital may not receive a test in time before they pass away.  When this happens someone suffering from pneumonia, respiratory distress or any symptom related to Coronavirus will be considered a COVID-19 casualty.  This has received some backlash due to speculation that there may be some alternative motives relating to death tolls caused by the disease.  Experts support this motion and say that it can emphasize the severity and lethality of the disease while others argue it is an unacceptable and artificial way of inflating numbers.  There are many other conspiracies that are being proposed as to why this is taking place but overall, I truly believe that numbers should be recorded as accurately and reliably as possible.    


Source: https://www.mprnews.org/story/2020/04/07/covid19-death-certificate-change-stirs-controversy

US Surgeon General's Controversial Remarks Regarding COVID-19

The US Surgeon General Jerome Adams is being criticized by the media after making some controversial statements during a COVID-19 address from the White House.  During his address to the people of America, Adams stated that people of color need to continue the fight of coronavirus by staying healthy and by practicing social distancing "for your big mama."  This was obviously the statement that is currently taking fire and it does seem to be a little careless and offensive to the African American community. His intent was to target the African American community and wanted to try and get the point across by using these statements.  

He explained that the COVID-19 case and death rates are higher for "Americans of color" than it is for white Americans.  When asked about his reasoning for using these words Adams explained, “We need targeted outreach to the African American community, and I use the language that is used in my family. I have a Puerto Rican brother-in-law. I call my granddaddy ‘granddaddy.’ I have relatives who call their grandparents, ‘big momma’,” Adams said. “So that was not meant to be offensive. That is the language that we use, and that I use, and we need to continue to target our outreach to those communities.”  Adams also added that everyone regardless of your color needs to follow the president's coronavirus guidelines. Avoiding alcohol, tobacco, and drugs will improve your chances of immunity and it is suggested to keep checking in on your family members over the phone. I think that during this time of pandemonium, there will be words and things said that may not be fully thought through.  

As I've said in the past I think that as a country we need to be aware of the things going on and to address them accordingly but also focus on the main goal which is defeating this horrible virus.  Surgeon General Adams, in my opinion, meant no harm with these remarks and was potentially hoping to get the attention of the entire country. The statements that he made were unacceptable and I believe that he will learn from this.  The use of slight remarks and stereotypical sayings are unacceptable at any time and should not be used in this day and age, especially when your audience is the entire world.  

Source: https://www.vox.com/2020/4/11/21217428/surgeon-general-jerome-adams-big-mama-coronavirus