Nurses screen patients at Boston Medical Center’s Emergency Department Triage Area, March 20. (David L. Ryan / The Boston Globe via Getty Images)
The US death toll from coronavirus is nearing 10,000 as hospitals run low on supplies and unemployment numbers continue to rise. As cities across the country approach the peak of their outbreaks, now is the time to call on decision-makers to protect the most vulnerable of us from the worst of the crisis.
This week’s Take Action Now gives you ways to support incarcerated people, demand housing justice, and keep fighting for a better future for our planet amid the coronavirus crisis.
Take Action Now gives you three meaningful actions you can take each week whatever your schedule. You can sign up here to get these actions and more in your inbox every Tuesday.
According to Bureau of Prison statistics, the number of positive cases of Covid-19 in federal jails and prisons has skyrocketed by a ghastly 8,600 percent since March 20. Over the weekend, Rikers Island reported its first death from the virus, and public health experts expect that this is just the beginning. Sign the ACLU’s letter to President Trump and state governors demanding the release of vulnerable communities from immigrant detention, jails, and prisons. Then use Prison Policy Initiative’s template to write to your local jail, asking them to allow video and phone calls free of charge for incarcerated people.
As millions of Americans have lost their jobs in the past few weeks, many are wondering how they’re going to pay rent in the unstable months to come. Sign the National Low Income Housing Coalition’s letter to tell Congress to ensure housing stability during and after the COVID-19 pandemic. Learn more about and share NLIHC’s demands here. Then, if you’re able, donate to a homeless shelter or a food bank near you to support those most in need. Scroll down this document to find organizations in your area.
Even amid this unprecedented emergency, we can’t lose sight of the other major crisis we face: climate change. The Trump administration is using the pandemic as cover to justify ending enforcement of public health and environmental protections, just when we need them most. Sign the Center for Biological Diversity’s letter to the EPA telling them to reverse this harmful rollback. Then, sign up to join the Sunrise Movement for a virtual crash course on the Green New Deal and how it fits into the coronavirus crisis.
NationActionThe Nation’s Take Action program directs readers to meaningful actions on a range of critical issues.