Los Angeles COVID-19 Impacts, American Fascism, Race, Capitalism & American State-Violence Part 1

American Indian Airwaves

Part 1: Given the systemic, escalating impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic throughout “Indian Country,” the rising COVID-19 rates reported by Indian Health Service and both Indigenous and non-Indigenous media coverage about the “Pandemic”, very few media reports, in fact, are on urban Native American populations. How has the COVID-19 pandemic impacted the larger urban Los Angeles urban Native American population? Why are COVID-19 tracking records and methods so problematic that some estimates suggest that 35% to 50% of Native American COVID-19 cases are misreported and underreported? How much has the COVID-19 situation changed for urban Los Angeles Native Americans area over past several months? What types of resources (e.g. economic assistance, food, hygiene, health, etc.) are available for those Native people in need? Who is providing emergency assistance for the urban Los Angeles Native American peoples and families? The Los Angeles Native COVID-19 Response Coalition, comprised of various American Indian community development organizations, community members, and members of the Los Angeles Native American City/County Native American Commission have been instrumental, critical, and paramount in organizing and implementing effective methods of community outreach, data tracking, and providing basic emergency, humanitarian services for urban Los Angeles Native American peoples and families despite the plethora of complications, obstacles, and unknown variables in the current COVID-19 crises. Turn in for part one of today’s program for hear from two community members and leaders addressing these critical issues and questions relating to the larger urban Los Angeles Native American community, plus more. Guests: Dr. Andrea Garcia, M.D. (Mandan/Hidatsa/Arikara Nations) is an appointed commissioner with the Los Angeles City/County Native American Indian Commission, works with the Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health/American Indian Counseling Center, and is a board member for the United American Indian Involvement, Inc. (UAII). Alexandra Ferguson Valdes (Tlingit & Athabascan Nations), Executive Director for the Los Angeles City/County Native American Indian Commission. COVID-19 Resources and Information be found here: https://www.facebook.com/lanativecovid19/ https://www.facebook.com/AICommission/ or https://lanaic.lacounty.gov Part 2: With the amplified rise of American fascism and authoritarianism during the Trump Administration, Trump’s desire to postpone the 2020 presidential elections, the frayed systemic global Capitalist system intensifying economic instability, depravity, compounded afflictions on Mother Earth, increased militarization, the ascension of the global police state, what are the interlinking relations between colonialism, race, global capitalism, and the contested American Empire? Turn in for part two of today’s program for an in-depth two-part conversation as our guest attempts addressing these very important questions, plus more. Guests: William Robinson, professor of sociology at the University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB), affiliated with the Latin American and Iberian Studies Program, and with the Global and International Studies Program at UCSB. William Robinson is the author of the forthcoming book: The Global Police State, recently wrote the article: “Post-COVID Economy May Have More Robots, Fewer Jobs and Intensified Surveillance”, and has published numerous additional books and articles on a variety of issues pertaining to Militarism, Global Capitalism, Repression, etc.