One of my last conversations at Ladders Services was with the Medical Examiner’s office after I heard Kathy had died.* My cubicle was in a cellar with an open floor plan, shared with other cubicles, and my boss and I agreed that I should call the Medical Examiner from a room with a door. Privacy. […]
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To Our Readers:
We hope that you have been following our steady stream of articles and interviews about life under the COVID 19 pandemic. We’re planning on continuing to put things up as fast as possible. If you have ideas about something for us to cover or, even better, if you have something you’d like to contribute, please get […]
Unsafe At Home: Domestic Violence Amid Covid-19
One of the dark consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent lockdown that has not received the attention it deserves is the rise in domestic violence cases with uneven trends at the local, state and national levels. In Knoxville, Tennessee where I live, police are reporting a rise in domestic violence cases even as some […]
In Plain Sight (if we looked)
For the past couple of months, we’ve been seeing news reports and ads that tell us: “We’re all in this together” and “We’re strong” and “We’ll never forget our heroes”. Most of the reports and ads carry a subtle message—an assumption that there was a “we” to start with—only waiting for the call to join […]
“They Wouldn’t Be Able to Deal With an Outbreak”: A View From Inside an Arizona Women’s Prison
Earlier this month, Andrea Portillo, an inmate at Perryville State Prison in Arizona, shared her experience with postpartum psychosis with Hard Crackers. She tells us what it’s like inside her facility during the pandemic. What is it like for you in Perryville State Prison right now? We are doing a whole lot of nothing. There […]
Southern Solidarity: Mutual Aid in New Orleans Amid COVID-19 Pandemic
Recently we had a chance to talk with Jasmine from Southern Solidarity, a mutual aid collective distributing food and supplies to the unhoused people of New Orleans. The COVID-19 death rate in the crescent city is higher per capita than in any other area in the entire nation. New Orleans politicians and non-profits have done […]