FREE//GRATUITO
PUBLISHED BY ACCIÓN LATINA
Vol. 50 No. 17
August 27-September 9, 2020
AS COVID-19 CASES SPIKE IN FRUITVALE, FREE CLINIC STEPS IN TO HELP LATINO, MAM COMMUNITY CLÍNICA EN FRUITVALE ATIENDE GRATUITAMENTE A COMUNIDAD LATINA Y MAM TRAS REPUNTE EN CASOS DE COVID-19 Daniel Marquez
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El Tecolote
he temperature was hitting 88 degrees in Oakland, California on the morning of August 15. On the corner of East 15th Street and Fruitvale Avenue, a long line of volunteers was waiting to receive supplies for the day. Street Level Health Project—a free clinic in Oakland that provides services for recent immigrants, Indigenous communities, day laborers and uninsured populations in the surrounding area—had organized a day of action with local Latino and Mayan Mam speaking community leaders. The event was in response to the rapid spread of COVID-19 in the Fruitvale neighborhood, and was sponsored by Alameda County Public Health Department’s (ACPHD) “Mask On!” initiative. The volunteers, most of whom were from the Mam speaking community, walked through Fruitvale to educate residents and businesses on the virus, and handed out masks and hand sanitizer bottles provided by ACPHD. Days before, ABC News had reported that 94601, the zip code pertaining to Fruitvale, was one of three zip codes in Alameda county that had coronavirus rates higher than those of Florida and Georgia. Gabriela Galicia, executive director of Street Level Health Project, noted that Latino and Mam speaking residents were being impacted the most. Data from the ACPHD shows that Latinos have more positive coronavirus cases than Black, white, and Asian American residents combined. As of August 25, there were 8,239 positive cases among Latino residents in the county, making up nearly 50 percent of all of Alameda county’s coronavirus cases, even though Latinos only make up 22 percent of the county’s residents. Latinos make up 52 percent of Fruitvale’s population, partly explaining why the area is one of the hardest hit regions in the county. What’s missing from the data, according to first hand experience from Street Level workers, Highland Hospital workers, Fruitvale community leaders, and college youth group Desarrollo Maya, is that the Mam speaking community is being further disproportionately affected. The county currently counts them as Latinos, so the data cannot reflect this. Many point to the systemic factors that cause rapid spread of the virus. Kimmi Watkins-Tartt, director of ACPHD, noted that regions like Fruitvale have higher numbers of essential workers and higher rates See FRUITVALE, page 13
Shirley Marisol distribuye EPP a los miembros de la comunidad mam latina e indígena de Fruitvale el 15 de agosto. Personal y voluntarios del Street Level Health Project se movilizaron para concientizar a la comunidad sobre la importancia de prepararse contra la pandemia COVID-19. Shirley Marisol distributes PPE to members of Fruitvale’s Latino and indigenous Mam community on Aug. 15. Members of the Street Level Health Project and volunteers mobilize to address Fruitvale’s community preparedness against the COVID-19 pandemic. Photo: Benjamin Fanjoy Daniel Marquez
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El Tecolote
a temperatura estaba llegando a los 88 grados en Oakland, California en la mañana del 15 de agosto. En la esquina de la Calle 15 Este y la Avenida Fruitvale, una larga fila de voluntarios espera recibir suministros para el día. Street Level Health Project, una clínica gratuita en Oakland que brinda servicios para inmigrantes, comunidades indígenas, jornaleros y poblaciones sin acceso a seguro médico del área circundante, había organizado un día de acción con líderes comunitarios locales de habla latina y maya mam. El evento fue en respuesta a la rápida propagación del COVID-19 en el vecindario de Fruitvale, y fue patrocinado por la iniciativa ‘Mask On!’ del Departamento de Salud Pública del Condado de Alameda (ACPHD). Los voluntarios, en su mayoría miembros de la comunidad de habla mam, recorrieron Fruitvale para educar a los residentes y negocios sobre el virus, y distribuyeron cubrebocas y frascos con desinfectante para manos proporcionados por el ACPHD. Días antes, ABC News había in-
Socorro entrega PPE a dos empleadas de un camión de comida en Fruitvale el 15 de agosto. Integrantes del Street Level Health Project y voluntarios se reunieron esa mañana, integraron pequeños equipos y repartieron cubrebocas y demás EPP para que la comunidad se proteja del coronavirus. Socorrro hands PPE to two workers in a food truck in Fruitvale on Aug. 15. Members of the Street Level Health Project and volunteers gathered Saturday morning and disbanded in small groups to hand out masks and additional PPE to better protect Fruitvale’s community against Vea COVID-19, página 13 the COVID-19 pandemic. Photo: Benjamin Fanjoy