AOC on the Coronavirus: ‘Environmental Racism’ Is a ‘Pre-Existing Condition’ in NYC

GONZALEZ And Congresswoman I ░░░░░░░░ to ask you about ░░░░░░░░ enormous all racial and ░░░░░░░░ disparity in the cases ░░░░░░░░ especially in the deaths ░░░░░░░░ are occurring As you ░░░░░░░░ and as Amy mentioned ░░░░░░░░ the areas of Elmhurst ░░░░░░░░ heights and Corona are ░░░░░░░░ epicenter of the epicenter ░░░░░░░░ the Bronx a portion ░░░░░░░░ which you also represent ░░░░░░░░ congressional district stretches out ░░░░░░░░ has also been hard ░░░░░░░░ according to as of ░░░░░░░░ 59 last night according ░░░░░░░░ the tracker that the ░░░░░░░░ a website produces for ░░░░░░░░ York City every day ░░░░░░░░ were 679 people Bronx ░░░░░░░░ who had died of ░░░░░░░░ That s more than ░░░░░░░░ as many as have ░░░░░░░░ in Manhattan only 302 ░░░░░░░░ Manhattan even though the ░░░░░░░░ is significantly smaller in ░░░░░░░░ that Manhattan And you ░░░░░░░░ got a situation where ░░░░░░░░ Bronx is 16 percent ░░░░░░░░ the population of the ░░░░░░░░ but it represents 24 ░░░░░░░░ of all the deaths ░░░░░░░░ we have a situation ░░░░░░░░ where even in Brooklyn ░░░░░░░░ areas of Brooklyn where ░░░░░░░░ residents are dying are ░░░░░░░░ the North Brooklyn in ░░░░░░░░ black and brown communities ░░░░░░░░ do you how do ░░░░░░░░ assess the city and ░░░░░░░░ state s response to ░░░░░░░░ is clearly a disparate ░░░░░░░░ of this epidemic OCASIO ░░░░░░░░ Yes Well as I ░░░░░░░░ mentioned earlier inequality environmental ░░░░░░░░ these are pre existing ░░░░░░░░ And when you have ░░░░░░░░ pandemic similar to what ░░░░░░░░ saw with hurricane Maria ░░░░░░░░ you have a natural ░░░░░░░░ or an event like ░░░░░░░░ pandemic hit communities that ░░░░░░░░ already been ravaged by ░░░░░░░░ healthcare systems weakened infrastructure ░░░░░░░░ South Bronx has one ░░░░░░░░ the highest childhood asthma ░░░░░░░░ in the country When ░░░░░░░░ talk about environmental racism ░░░░░░░░ re talking about illegal ░░░░░░░░ we re talking about ░░░░░░░░ waste sites and concentrating ░░░░░░░░ and trucking zones through ░░░░░░░░ poorest communities in the ░░░░░░░░ and the blackest communities ░░░░░░░░ the brownest communities And ░░░░░░░░ we already have an ░░░░░░░░ of extreme and acute ░░░░░░░░ of respiratory illnesses in ░░░░░░░░ Bronx That is largely ░░░░░░░░ to the trucking that ░░░░░░░░ through here to the ░░░░░░░░ inequalities that come through ░░░░░░░░ And so when you ░░░░░░░░ the cross Bronx expressway ░░░░░░░░ was a notorious project ░░░░░░░░ racism by Robert Moses ░░░░░░░░ way that he tried ░░░░░░░░ concentrate and push these ░░░░░░░░ and design these communities ░░░░░░░░ when you have the ░░░░░░░░ of health inequities and ░░░░░░░░ top of that these ░░░░░░░░ our front line workers ░░░░░░░░ you see our front ░░░░░░░░ workers living are where ░░░░░░░░ see are the same ░░░░░░░░ where you are seeing ░░░░░░░░ cases spiking Black and ░░░░░░░░ workers are overwhelmingly part ░░░░░░░░ this front line They ░░░░░░░░ the grocery store workers ░░░░░░░░ are the delivery workers ░░░░░░░░ are hospital workers including ░░░░░░░░ staff And so when ░░░░░░░░ have this pandemic layer ░░░░░░░░ top of it when ░░░░░░░░ pair that to the ░░░░░░░░ the unequal access to ░░░░░░░░ when you pair that ░░░░░░░░ ratios of hospital beds ░░░░░░░░ lower than more affluent ░░░░░░░░ this is what you ░░░░░░░░ And so when it ░░░░░░░░ to the city s ░░░░░░░░ it s you know ░░░░░░░░ believe that the city ░░░░░░░░ doing absolutely everything they ░░░░░░░░ but we also have ░░░░░░░░ acknowledge that there are ░░░░░░░░ entirely different starting lines ░░░░░░░░ these communities are starting ░░░░░░░░ And so we ve ░░░░░░░░ working very hard but ░░░░░░░░ when we don t ░░░░░░░░ for things like rent ░░░░░░░░ more full rent and ░░░░░░░░ moratoriums you push these ░░░░░░░░ to go outside because ░░░░░░░░ feel a pressure to ░░░░░░░░ their rent And they ░░░░░░░░ go out and take ░░░░░░░░ they may take work ░░░░░░░░ the table in order ░░░░░░░░ make ends meet and ░░░░░░░░ without this economic relief ░░░░░░░░ also adds to the ░░░░░░░░ health issues that we ░░░░░░░░ face GOODMAN After break ░░░░░░░░ re gonna talk with ░░░░░░░░ about the stimulus package ░░░░░░░░ what you ve called ░░░░░░░░ corporate slush fund that ░░░░░░░░ billion.”