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MARCH 26 - APRIL 1, 2020 • TUCSONWEEKLY.COM • FREE
SURVIVING THE OUTBREAK What To Do If You’re Sick Where To Feed Your Kids While School Is Out How To Find Emergency Childcare When To Shop If You’re a Senior Where To Find Food Assistance Where To Look for a Biz Loan How To Help Others in This Time of Need Where To Still See Art And More!
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MARCH 26, 2020
MARCH 26, 2020
MARCH 26, 2020 | VOL. 35, NO. 13
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The Tucson Weekly is available free of charge in Pima County, limited to one copy per reader. Additional copies of the current issue of the Tucson Weekly may be purchased for $1, payable at the Tucson Weekly office in advance. To find out where you can pick up a free copy of the Tucson Weekly, please visit TucsonWeekly.com
STAFF ADMINISTRATION Jason Joseph, President/Publisher jjoseph@azlocalmedia.com
CONTENTS CURRENTS
EDITOR’S NOTE
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CHOW
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Now limited to takeout and delivery service, many of Tucson’s locally owned restaurants are hanging by thread
CITY WEEK
Your COVID-19 resource guide
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ARTS
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Museums are mostly shut, but galleries soldier on—for now
CINEMA
COVID-19 rise across the state, there’s a lot of uncertainty out there. You probably have some questions: What should I do with my kids while school is out? Is there any place I can get a loan to keep my business afloat? Where can I look for work now that I’ve been laid off? Where can I find food if I can’t afford to buy it? The Weekly staff has packed this issue with resources. First, know the symptoms of COVID-19, which typically occur two to 14 days after exposure. They include fever, cough and shortness of breath. But remember that some cases of the virus are entirely asymptomatic. Avoid infection by keeping at least six feet away from other people, washing your hands, avoiding unnecessary trips and not touching your face. COVID-19 can survive on cardboard for up to 24 hours, and on stainless steel and plastic surfaces up to three days. If you think you have been exposed to COVID-19 and develop a fever and symptoms, call your healthcare provider for medical advice. According to the CDC, people who are mildly ill with COVID-19 are able to recover at home. Stay at home and avoid public transportation, but stay in touch with your doctor. If you do leave your home, wear a facemask and clean your
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MUSIC
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WaveLab Recording Studio to begin live streaming local musicians
RANDOM SHOTS By Rand Carlson
Claudine Sowards, Accounting, Ext. 13 claudine@tucsonlocalmedia.com
hands often. If you develop more severe symptoms (persistent pain or pressure in the chest, confusion, bluish lips) get medical attention immediately. Staff reporter Kathleen B. Kunz tells you where you can feed your kids for free while school is out. Staff reporter Austin Counts looks at some childcare options now that schools are closed at least through April 10 (and not to be pessimistic, but I don’t think they’ll reopen in any real capacity before August). Calendar editor Emily Dieckman has turned over City Week to a whole bunch of leads about when seniors should shop, where to find free supplemental groceries if you’re struggling, how to keep your kids busy with educational programs while you’re at home and what you can do if you’ve lost a job or your business is in urgent need of financial assistance. We’ve got a lot more happening online at TucsonWeekly.com, where you can follow the latest news, check out a growing directory of restaurants that could really use your help, find regular updates about the spread of the virus and much more. Stay safe, wash your hands and hug your loved ones if you can.
Cover design by Ryan Dyson. Image courtesy BigStock
Loft Cinema, Casa Video face COVID spread with new watch-at-home options
Casey Anderson, Ad Director/ Associate Publisher, Ext. 22 casey@tucsonlocalmedia.com
Here to Help and Inform AS THE CONFIRMED CASES OF
Local school districts offer grab-and-go meals during statewide closure
Jaime Hood, General Manager, Ext. 12 jaime@tucsonlocalmedia.com
— Jim Nintzel Executive Editor
Sheryl Kocher, Receptionist, Ext. 10 sheryl@tucsonlocalmedia.com EDITORIAL Jim Nintzel, Executive Editor, Ext. 38 jimn@tucsonlocalmedia.com Logan Burtch-Buus, Managing Editor, Ext. 36 logan@tucsonlocalmedia.com Jeff Gardner, Associate Editor, Ext. 43 jeff@tucsonlocalmedia.com Tara Foulkrod, Web Editor, Ext. 35 tara@tucsonlocalmedia.com Austin Counts, Staff Reporter, Ext. 37 austin@tucsonlocalmedia.com Kathleen Kunz, Staff Reporter, Ext. 42 kathleen@tucsonlocalmedia.com Contributors: Lee Allen, Rob Brezsny, Max Cannon, Rand Carlson, Tom Danehy, Emily Dieckman, Bob Grimm, Andy Mosier, Xavier Omar Otero, Linda Ray, Margaret Regan, David Safier, Will Shortz, Jen Sorensen, Eric Swedlund, Mark Whittaker PRODUCTION David Abbott, Production Manager, Ext. 18 david@tucsonlocalmedia.com Louie Armendariz, Graphic Designer, Ext. 29 louie@tucsonlocalmedia.com Madison Wehr, Graphic Designer, Ext. 28 madison@tucsonlocalmedia.com Ryan Dyson, Graphic Designer, Ext. 26 ryan@tucsonlocalmedia.com CIRCULATION Alex Carrasco, Circulation, Ext. 17, alexc@tucsonlocalmedia.com ADVERTISING Kristin Chester, Account Executive, Ext. 25 kristin@tucsonlocalmedia.com Candace Murray, Account Executive, Ext. 24 candace@tucsonlocalmedia.com Lisa Hopper, Account Executive Ext. 39 lisa@tucsonlocalmedia.com Brek Montoya, Account Executive, Ext. 20 brek@tucsonlocalmedia.com Tyler Vondrak, Account Executive, Ext. 27 tyler@tucsonlocalmedia.com Liane White, Account Executive, Ext. 23, liane@tucsonlocalmedia.com NATIONAL ADVERTISING VMG Advertising, (888) 278-9866 or (212) 475-2529 Tucson Weekly® is published every Thursday by 13 Street Media at 7225 N. Mona Lisa Rd., Ste. 125, Tucson, Arizona. Address all editorial, business and production correspondence to: Tucson Weekly, 7225 N. Mona Lisa Rd., Ste. 125, Tucson, Arizona 85741. Phone: (520) 797-4384, FAX (520) 575-8891. First Class subscriptions, mailed in an envelope, cost $112 yearly/53 issues. Sorry, no refunds on subscriptions. Member of the Association of Alternative Newsmedia (AAN). The Tucson Weekly® and Best of Tucson® are registered trademarks of 10/13 Communications. Back issues of the Tucson Weekly are available for $1 each plus postage for the current year. Publisher has the right to refuse any advertisement at his or her discretion.
Copyright: The entire contents of Tucson Weekly are Copyright © 2020 by Thirteenth Street Media. No portion may be reproduced in whole or part by any means without the express written permission of the Publisher, Tucson Weekly, 7225 N. Mona Lisa Rd., Ste. 125, Tucson, AZ 85741.
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CURRENTS LOGAN BURTCH-BUUS
Marana bus driver Alvin Ramsey hands out free meals as part of Marana Cares Mobile
FEED THE CHILDREN
Local school districts offer grab-and-go meals during statewide closure
By Kathleen B. Kunz kathleen @tucsonlocalmedia.com THE SPREAD OF THE COVID-19 coronavirus outbreak has put a growing number of people out of work and Gov. Doug Ducey has extended school closures through at last April 10. While these measures may slow the community spread of the virus, many families rely on school to provide free or economical breakfast and lunch for their children. Local school districts in Pima County have stepped up to provide alternative options for those families. Tucson Unified School District this week launched a grab-and-go meal program, with school buses driving 12 routes throughout the district and stopping at 113 locations dentified for optimal proximity to students’ homes. The buses will stop between 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. for 10 minutes at each location, where kids can come and get one free lunch and a free breakfast for the next day. These meals are offered to all children 18 years old and younger, but they don’t necessarily have to be a TUSD student. According to Federal Meal Program requirements, children must be present at the bus stop to receive meals. Meals cannot be distributed for additional children who are not present. A full list of bus stops and scheduled times is available at tusd1.org/GrabAndGo. The Marana Unified School District is
ramping up similar efforts with its Marana Cares Mobile program. Since 2015, the district has provided free breakfast and lunch to children in need during every summer, fall, winter and spring break. The program will now continue throughout the school closure, and will be supported by additional food services provided at several elementary schools. “Marana Cares Mobile does not go to homes, it sets up at two locations that we’ve identified through community input are some of our highest need areas,” said Tamara Crawley, the district’s public relations director. She said the experience will be slightly different this time around, in order to adhere to social distancing advice from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. When families come to the mobile bus, no one will be allowed inside. Crawley said they used to allow children to eat their meals inside the refurbished school bus, but now they will be serving meals in pre-packaged to-go containers. Crawley said they have served close to 10,500 meals through the Marana Mobile Cares program, and they’re hoping to add another bus in the future. “Nutrition is critical to a child’s ability to learn and be successful,” said MUSD Superintendent Dr. Doug Wilson in a prepared statement. This service allows us to meet those needs during times when students
are not at school so they are better prepared to return to school ready to learn.” Like TUSD’s program, children do not have to be an MUSD student in order to receive meals from the bus. The bus will come to two locations Monday through Friday through the duration of the closure. At the southeast corner of Sandario Road and Anthony Drive, next to the Marana Congregation of Jehovah’s Witness Church, a bus will be present between 11 a.m. and noon. At 16560 W. El Tiro Road, a bus will be present between 12:30 p.m. and 1:30 p.m. For those who have transportation to schools, grab-and-go meals are also available throughout the closure at the following locations: Butterfield Elementary School (3400 W. Massingale Road); Estes Elementary School (11280 W. Grier Road); Picture Rocks Elementary (5875 N. Sanders Road); Quail Run Elementary (4600 W. Cortaro Farms Road) and Roadrunner Elementary (16651 W. Calle Carmella). In the Amphitheater Public Schools district, staff are providing free grab-andgo meals for students to pick up and take home with them every day for the duration of the school closure. They have arranged a drive-up system, so parents and guardians don’t even have to leave their cars to receive the meals. Families can walk or drive up to the front office of 12 different schools in the district and food service staff will be there Monday through Friday between 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. to hand out meals. The eligible schools are Amphitheater High (125 W. Yavapai Road); Amphitheater Middle/Prince Elementary (315 E. Prince Road); Canyon Del Oro High (25 W. Calle Concordia); Coronado K-8 (3401 E. Wilds Road); Donaldson Elementary (2040 W. Omar Drive); Holaway Elementary (3500 N. Cherry Avenue); Keeling Elementary (2837 N. Los Altos); La Cima Middle (5600 N. La Cañada Drive); Mesa Verde Elementary (1661 W. Sage Street); Nash Elementary (515 West Kelso Street); Rio Vista Elementary (1351 E. Limberlost Drive) and Lulu Walker Elementary (1750 West Roller Coaster Road). Amphi’s food services are also not limited to district students and are available to any person 18 years old or younger. In the Catalina Foothills School District, all families with children seeking food services are encouraged to access grab-and-go meals at Flowing Wells district schools. Breakfast will be available for pick-up between 7:30 a.m. and 8:30 a.m. and lunch will
TO OUR READERS FIRST AND MOST IMPORTANT: I hope that you and your loved ones are safe during these difficult times. Please be sure to heed the advice of the health care experts and make sure to check in with family, friends and neighbors. At Tucson Local Media, we are committed to bringing you the news and information as quickly as we can during these unprecedented times for everyone in our communities. The majority of our staff is currently working remotely. Our team of reporters and editors are on the phones continually throughout the day with city and state officials, school officials, community organizations, small and large businesses and nonprofit organizations to bring you the most current up to date information as it is being released. Small businesses in any community are the lifeblood of our everyday lives. Please continue supporting those businesses in any way you can. Please don’t hesitate contacting us at (520) 797-4384 or emailing us at tucsoneditor@tucsonlocalmedia.com with any tips or suggestions of things happening in your community. From all of us at Tucson Local Media: Thank you for supporting us. ■ —Jason Joseph President/Publisher be available from 12 p.m. to 1 p.m. Meals are available at the following schools: Centennial Elementary (2200 W. Wetmore Road); Homer Davis Elementary (4250 N. Romero Road); Walter Douglas Elementary (3302 N. Flowing Wells Road); J. Robert Hendricks Elementary (3400 W. Orange Grove Road); Laguna Elementary (5001 N. Shannon Road); Richardson Elementary (6901 N. Camino De La Tierra); Flowing Wells Junior High (4545 N. La Cholla Boulevard) and Flowing Wells High (3725 N. Flowing Wells Road). The statewide school closure is set to last until April 10, but could be extended further if the coronavirus remains a serious danger to public health. Since the virus outbreak and community officials’ responses to it are rapidly evolving, please visit your child’s school district website for the most up-todate information. ■
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COURTESY PHOTO
Dr. James Galloway
FIGHTING THE BUG
Local Pandemic Expert: “It’s critically important that we maintain our healthcare workers.” By Kathleen B. Kunz kathleen@tucsonlocalmedia.com DR. JAMES GALLOWAY IS A FORMER assistant U.S. Surgeon General, a cardiovascular medical doctor and a public health expert. He served as a Senior Federal Official on Health for Pandemic Influenza and Bioterrorism for the Department of Homeland Security and as the Director of the Office of Health System Collaboration for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, integrating clinical care and public health at a national level. Dr. Galloway is a Tucson resident who has been monitoring the global impacts of the COVID-19 Coronavirus outbreak, and governments’ responses to them. This interview has been edited for clarity. What steps could the Trump Administration have taken earlier to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic? On January 9, an outbreak of an “unidentified and possibly new” viral disease
in central China was reported and was sending alarms across Asia. Shortly afterwards, Taiwan and Hong Kong and South Korea were contemplating quarantine zones and scanning travelers from China for signs of fever or pneumonia. And then on January 21, they locked down Wuhan, the city in China. In late January, multiple articles came out from well-known scientific experts, saying that we needed aggressive interventions. That was late January. And it was on March 11 when Trump gave his first speech acknowledging the seriousness of the Coronavirus. Unfortunately, early on there were a lot of denials and statements of things like “we’re on top of it” and “it’s totally under control,” which put our government as well as our population at ease when things really should have been ramping up. Things that could have been done earlier are things like accepting the World Health Organization’s offer for testing kits, or organizing and directing individuals, doctors and hospitals about how and where to get the tests for patients. Providing leadership CONTINUED ON PAGE 21
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With Arizona schools closed through at least April 10, working parents need child care options.
PRESSED FOR SPACE As schools close, parents seek out child care options
By Austin Counts austin@tucsonlocalmedia.com LOCAL CHILD CARE IS ON SHAKY ground as more Tucson families are staying home to fight the spread of coronavirus after Gov. Doug Ducey’s order that school closures would continue through at least April 10. Last Monday, the City of Tucson also shut down their youth programs, KIDCO and SchoolzOut Camp, due to issues such as a lack of sanitation products at their sites. The programs will be shut down through at least April 10. The city plans to reevaluate opening the youth programs once schools reopen, according to Andy Squire, public information officer for the City of Tucson. “From everything we are seeing, I would say it would be likely (youth program closures) would continue beyond that,” Squire said. “Child care is available in our community for folks both at the YMCAs and the Boys and Girls Clubs.”
But slots will be hard to come by for many Tucsonans. Both the YMCA of Southern Arizona and the Boys and Girls Club of Tucson are prioritizing childcare for the children of first responders, health care workers and employees at grocery stores. The BGCT is “strictly providing emergency childcare to 60 children, ages 5-12,of essential and critical service community workers” at their Grant Road location, according to a press release. BGCT is also working with TUSD Meal Services to supply breakfast and lunch to enrolled children. The YMCA is partnering with local private school lunch provider, Nutrition One, to offer breakfast, lunch and snack options for their enrollees. The YMCA of Southern Arizona is also giving essential workers special preference for child care. Child care spots at the YMCA aren’t just for medical workers, but grocery store workers too, said Candis Martin for YMCA Southern Arizona. “The program is for anybody who is providing a critical role right now,” Martin
said. “Whether that begins with doctors and nurses, it could also be the courtesy store clerk at Fry’s down the street.” Martin said she was unsure about how many kids are enrolled in the essential workers program, but she is expecting anywhere from 250 to 2,000 children by the end of this week. Martin said the YMCA shouldn’t have a problem meeting enrollment numbers due to having seven locations available in town, staffed by the organization’s numerous employees in Tucson. Martin also said the organization updated sanitation and social distancing practices to meet the current standards before children arrived. “We not only have our four full-service branches, but we also have a day camp and tons of off-site facilities. We also have the ability to bring in other staff from additional departments to train if needed,” Martin said. “We also took an inventory of all the cleaning supplies and necessary equipment and we pretty much centralized it. We instilled new procedures to make sure we are following not only CDC recommendations, but we’re working closely with the Pima County Health Department.” The YMCA is considering opening enrollment of child care to the public should space become available and if school closures last until the end of the semester year, Martin said. But for now, the YMCA
is reserving space for children of essential workers. She said she would have a better idea of the program’s demand by the end of the month. “We are first-come, first-serve and we do have a lot of space available,” Martin said. “So, if that demand wasn’t necessary for those providing critical roles in our community right now, we would be opening it up to those other individuals.” In the meantime, both the YMCA and the BGCT are in the process of implementing online and phone-based youth education programs and tools for parents. In addition to video programming, the BGCT is offering a “staff-led Power Hour learning sessions, book clubs, art activities and more,” according to their release. The YMCA is also putting together a “virtual YMCA,” starting with health and wellness videos on their website, according to Martin. But she does urge working parents who can’t find child care at the moment to reach out to neighbors, if possible. “We’re also starting some online activities to keep these kids busy,” Martin said. “But we really recommend reaching out to neighbors, close friends and trying to find small groups who may be able to help, if you’re unable to find child care.” Ironically, locally owned child care centers are seeing a drop in their enrollment as more parents are working from home. Robin Kottabi, owner of the Sandbox Early Childhood Learning Center, said she saw her enrollment drop by 30 percent by the end of last week. She’s hoping it’s just temporary given the situation. “I don’t believe it’s from kids being sick, but we’ve had a lot of parents call in to say they were going to keep their kids at home while public schools were closed,” Kottabi said, while trying to stay optimistic. “There’s a good possibility parents are going to say, ‘This past week has been difficult. I’m going to bring in my child so I can get some work done.’” The current coronavirus lockdown reminds Kottabi of life during the Iranian Revolution in the late 1970s, when she and her husband, Parviz, owned a daycare in Tehran. While there are obvious differences between the two events, Kottabi said the day to day situation is very similar. “It’s exactly the same. Back then, parents would say nothing is going to happen,” Kottabi said. “Then you would start to see people not going to work, people hunkering down because of the unknown.” ■
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a campaign to ask the community to help out. On the very first day, an anonymous donor offered $50,000. Performing arts venues, nonprofits enduring “People have been amazingly supportive of us,” Daniels said. “And the thing COVID closures we’re making clear is that everything that we had planned is going to continue to By Jeff Gardner happen, it’s just going to be postponed jeff@tucsonlocalmedia.com over the next 18 months...The nice thing is that there’s a lot of support for the arts in ONE DOESN’T NEED TO SEE Tucson. People really believe in the culturthe Rialto Theatre’s “F U Coronavirus” al identity of it.” marquee to know the artistic heart of Daniels says many of the toughest Tucson has gone silent. Over the past two decisions from the pandemic closures weeks, the event schedules of Hotel Conare falling on the freelance and hourly gress, the Fox Theatre, Arizona Theatre workers. As a result, ATC paid their actors Company and many more toppled like ornamented dominoes. But Tucson is noth- for the next three weeks, despite the shows ing if not stubborn with its art. Even before being canceled. “We need your support, but so does mass business closures, the community everyone else. All across the nation, we’re gathered to find ways to support its local going to lose these local places if people nonprofits and performing arts venues. don’t step up and be a part of it,” Daniels On Tuesday, March 10, Arizona Thesaid. “I take my daughter to the Children’s atre Company staff were discussing how Museum a couple times a year, so we’re to keep their theatre especially clean for going to get a membership just to be able shows taking place during the pandemic. to get money in their hands now—and But only 48 hours later, their shows were that’s what we’re asking everyone to do… off for the season. According to ATC artistic director Sean The honest truth is that across the country, not all cultural organizations will survive Daniels, several smaller local theatres this. So if you have an organization you waited to see ATC’s response to the love, subscribe, become a member, order pandemic. As one of the largest theatre take-out, do whatever you’re able to do.” companies in town, Daniels says ATC One of the largest current resources for had a responsibility to lead a safe path. Daniels estimates pausing the season will local nonprofits is the Community Foundation for Southern Arizona. While CFSA result in a financial hit of one to two million dollars. As a result, ATC has launched prides itself on consistently supporting
CLAYTOONZ By Clay Jones
nonprofits, they’ve created two special funds in response to COVID-19. Their Event Relief Fund is to provide financial support to local nonprofits forced to cancel fundraising events in response to the pandemic. On the opposite end, their Community Response Fund provides extra resources for nonprofits which have experienced increased service demands as a result of the pandemic. “The situation is still very fluid. As the Community Foundation, we’re not only helping people contribute to those two funds, we’re also in the midst of developing a web page where any donor can go to and support whatever they want to support, because there’s a lot of efforts in the community to support people, especially the arts,” said CFSA CEO Clint Mabie. To start the program, CFSA contributed $10,000 to each fund. The community quickly responded, and has already committed more than $30,000 to each fund. CFSA expects to begin distributing these funds to local nonprofits by the end of this week. “We’re seeing different demands every day. But we want to be as responsive as we can to whatever organization applies,” Mabie said. “What we also want to encourage people to do, is if they have purchased a ticket to an event, they should call that organization and turn it into a donation rather than asking for a refund. And the same would be for performances. That’s the greatest support you can give.”
Mabie also mentioned the Tucson Musicians COVID-19 Relief Fund on GoFundMe, made to support local musicians and artists who are out of work during this time. In less than a week, nearly 200 donors have raised more than $15,000 dollars for Tucson musicians. “As the Community Foundation, we’re trying to be a central repository for people to learn about all the initiatives that are going on in the community to support those that have been affected by the virus, which is almost everybody,” Mabie said. “The key advice is that you call your favorite nonprofit and just ask how you can help.” At a shuttered Hotel Congress, a GoFundMe fundraiser was created to exclusively support the staff of Cup Cafe, Club Congress and Maynards Market and Kitchen, which are closed for the “foreseeable future.” (The Cup and Maynards are offering take-out meals.) The Fox Theatre is declaring “the show will go on” by rescheduling many of their acts for later this year. The Fox is also aiming to raise $20,000 with help from an anonymous donor who is currently matching all community donations. “Tucson really prides itself on having these world-class arts organizations,” Daniels said. “It’s what makes Tucson what it is. So if we come out of this and there’s no restaurants or cultural institutions, it won’t be the same Tucson. In many ways, this is a fight for our soul as a city.” ■
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Story & photos by Brian Smith
Walmart, ‘the Trumpvirus’ and survival instincts THE ANCIENT NATIVE WOMAN rolls in her wheelchair through Walmart’s bustling parking lot and exhaust stink, squinting in the midday sun, moving toward the corner bus-stop. Anger moves through her tiny frame, down into her wrinkled hands, the unnatural velocity with which she forces her wheels. No one notices her, a shiny Ford truck nearly collides into her, and she hardly wants to stop and chat. She scowls and rolls, “They are out of everything, the shelves are clean!” Her name she says is Anna and few of her Walmart needs were met and she radiates zero joy despite the outward impression of joy in her dress—a colorful pastel blouse, blue duster and carefully pulled back gray hair. She says babies will be born with the virus now and mothers are doomed. She is alone in a world of vibrating humanity. This old wizened Native woman. The air at Walmart is wound with tight, grim synchronicity and indifference, but not panic. You want to learn everything about America? Hang at a Walmart around noon on a weekday, during a pandemic. The greedy consumption and feeding, grocery carts overflowing of sugary and salted pre-packaged items, the “unskilled labor” of the checkout-counter folks heroically keeping this town from total collapse. Robert Ward is outside the Walmart scrutinizing the parking lot and hunting a light for his smoke. His reddish beard tops a Blaze Ya Dead Homie T-shirt, baggy shorts, dark wrap shades, and a black trucker hat. A tat rises up one forearm showing a black forest engulfing a tiny dark house. First glance Ward could be any dude with menace lurking in the Walmart shade. Nah. He’s waiting on his girlfriend
who’s in the laundromat next door. He came for Gatorade. Ward isn’t worried about the virus, he says, he has lived through truckloads of crap—the bird flu, swine flu H1N1, and has suffered 23 broken bones in his life. Been involved in four car accidents, all of which involved deaths. Ward made national news in 2018 when that 18-wheeler blew a tire and plowed head-on into a Greyhound bus in New Mexico. He was on that bus, relocating to Tucson to be with his girlfriend from his home in York, Pennsylvania. Upon impact he vaulted out the window, slammed pavement and cartwheeled down the freeway. He hobbled back to the burning bus in back-pain fireworks, and, as reported everywhere, pulled six people off the burning bus to safety including a pregnant woman. “It took 23 minutes for paramedics to arrive. I was barely able to stand and was moving people.” He suffered back trauma, herniated disc, sciatic nerve damage, a permanent leg disfigurement from internal bleeding from his knee to his hip. Juggalo websites hailed Ward heroic and all but sainted him. (He was wearing an ICP Hatchetman hoodie in the crash.) Two weeks ago, he took his last bus ride and the Sun Tran was sideswiped by a car. He’s afraid to hop a bus now, and he sold his car after getting off probation for a weed DUI. Ward’s life is a string of loose, jagged edges held together with personal curiosities, which fueled his study into everything from EMT training to auto mechanics to house building, and traveling the country by bus. He has been jumped and stabbed, beaten and locked in a food pantry. His mom was tripping
Robert Ward and Vanika Hill in their midtown apartment.
acid when he was born. His twin died four months later from heart complications. Mom’s next move was ditching Ward on a Maryland street corner when he was six months old. Mom saw Ward on the news in 2018 and tried to connect on Facebook. Not much has come of it. He grew up mostly in foster care until his dad found him, which took, all told, 14 years of hunting and red-tape to get his son back. “Foster homes,” he says matter-of-factly, “are not what people think. I lived in 14 different ones and they were all ghettos, the parents only in it for the checks.” Juvie detention centers housed him too. He pounded a kid once for bullying a friend and saw two court-ordered years in an Erie, Penn detention center. “It was like an adult jail,” he shrugs in a whorl of cigarette smoke, the heave and rattle of crammed shopping carts moving around us. “You act a certain way, khaki pants, blue polo shirt with Perseus House on the back.” His dad and stepmom back in Penn happen to be “doomsday preppers,” and the 28-year-old has lived in shipping containers he built himself into homes, complete with interior sheet-rock walls, windows, sliding glass doors, electrical and plumbing, bathrooms and kitchens. When he gets his $100K settlement from the bus accident his plans include purchasing a piece of land and two old school buses to convert to connected living spaces and forge a little world for his girlfriend and her 14-year-old
daughter. A version of the future, off the grid, and he’s ready. He suffers from PTSD, ADHD and anxiety disorder, and right now has three dollars to his name. He fixes cars for coin, but the work has dried up since the virus hit. The anxiety kicks in hard around rent time, but not now about virus time. Talking pandemics, Ward, who’s white with a black girlfriend, says his dad was a racist, “but he’s not like that anymore. We lived in a poor, all-black neighborhood. He used to get beat up or robbed.” The meth in Tucson blew his mind: “I never saw a methhead until I got here. Man, they are everywhere.” The kid grew up in poverty and abuse, a world free of safety nets others enjoy. He is like so many I meet born into poverty after 1990, hard-work resourceful and unencumbered by a greedy sense of entitlement, and whose default switch is tolerance to shitty things and shitty people. He offers his last smoke to me. He removes his dark shades and there is weariness and hurt fixed in his eyes. Wounds belie his centrifugal confidence. He facetimes daily with his 6-year-old daughter who lives back home with the mother Ward doesn’t get along with. He shakes his head. “I miss my daughter a lot.” She is scheduled to visit him in Tucson for a few months this summer and he can’t wait. We cross the Walmart lot to the laundromat to meet his girlfriend Vanika CONTINUED ON PAGE 10
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Hill. Ward’s mood shifts, “I worry about her and do whatever to make her happy and safe.” He cuts the tender moment: “First thing I do is get yelled at to wash my hands when I step in the door.” Ward might consider the virus overhyped but that theory goes out the window in the presence of his girlfriend. The laundromat’s red white and blue motif is upheld by an American flag against the back wall and I overhear one woman walking out, saying to anyone within earshot that the COVID-19 disease should be called “the Trumpvirus,” because he made “it way fucking worse than it should’ve been.” Alongside 33-year-old Hill there is a mother and son pulling clothes from a dryer, grateful the washeteria hasn’t shuttered for sanitary reasons. The place is nearly empty but the air is still heavy and processed by the working machinery and fear. Hill produces homemade hand sanitizer “made from aloe vera and alcohol,” and squeezes some into both of our hands. She wears a mask and gloves, and wields a can of Lysol with the family clothes, which are now washed and dried. Her ailments cast her into the at-risk category for the COVID-19 disease. She has two leaky heart valves. “I am one in a million,” she says “I’m still pushing with my pig valves. The whole [cardiology] staff at Banner [Health], even the receptionist, were amazed I still had my pig valves. I’m the only person in Tucson.” Her face transmits an innocence, and she’s fast, perceptive, upfront. Her voice buzzes in the good cheer of a woman in charge of her circumstances, seasons her sentences with stinging observations of her life and the day-to-day. She grew up in York, Pennsylvania, with her Tucson-born mother, who returned to Tucson. Hill missed mom so she followed a year later. That was four years ago. (Her dad, she says later, fathered 16 children. She calls him a “baby junkie. His life is an episode of The Jerry Springer Show and Maury combined.”) Hill suffers a learning disability, reading comprehension, and can’t remember what she reads, unless she reads aloud. She’s diagnosed with depression and anxiety, with a medical disability, and
receives some state aid. It helps. She cleans houses too, but the virus sopped that work up. We load their Walmart groceries and two large, heavy bags of laundry into my old van and head over to their place, a small, three-bedroom cinderblock place with cracked walls near Alvernon and Grant. They are grateful for the ride. It would’ve been a trudging, unfun mile home.
Pennsylvania, stayed with the church for six years, belonging to a specific one that encouraged modesty in clothing. (Mennonites, you’ll note, are a branch of the Christian church, basically non-separatists with tentacles reaching back to the radical wing of the 16th century Protestant Reformation. Their primary loyalty is not to any nation state but to Jesus, promoting nonviolence and peace.)
Robert Ward: “I worry about her and do whatever to make her happy and safe.”
We arrive and Hill isn’t so keen on a stranger in their house, the virus fear, so they seat me in a dining chair near the door and they sink into the couch six feet away. The two met years ago when Ward was selling cat flea-and-tick medication, damaged boxes tossed from retail outlets he collected and sold under retail price. “She was standing there in her Mennonite clothing buying cat stuff,” Ward says. Apparently, he was smitten. “He was stuttering and all giggly and so nervous,” Hill laughs. “I’ll never forget. Then I started seeing pictures of his dogs on Facebook and I knew he was one of the good ones.” Ward’s face reddens. Hill had become a Mennonite in
Friends first, love full-bloomed after she moved to Tucson. One cat, Anoki Stripes, slinks about the place, which is decorated with the knick-knacks of their lives, sentimental personals Hill will never toss, like the collection of Dr. Seuss books she got when her daughter was young. That daughter is a polite, happy-faced 14-year-old who steps in and out of the room, out of school for who knows how long. She grins sheepishly at mom when she brags of her daughter’s intelligence and schoolwork and reading at a higher-grade level. Everything she does is for her daughter, she says. So Hill doesn’t want her daughter’s name used for this piece. One fear is the biological dad coming back into their lives. It seems unlikely, though, she hasn’t seen or
heard from him since she informed him she was pregnant. Their three cats matter, particularly Anoki. “That cat is just like me,” Hill says, “I’m serious. He’s a passivist and I am too.” Songs matter too, in the here and now. Hill listens to contemporary Christian and Ward’s not much of a fan, prefers old-school and aggressive stuff, underground rock and sometimes rap. Other signals of their obvious differences flare, like surprising xenophobic attention they draw as a mixed-race couple. “It’s funny, a lot of black people hate it,” Ward says. “And guys eye-fucking her yell shit from car windows, or ask ‘What the hell are you doing with her?’ I just say, ‘I’m lucky, I guess.’” “Ah, they can think what they want,” Hill laughs. “Ain’t no such thing as ‘act black’ or ‘act white.’” As Hill points out, the pair hail from utterly different backgrounds yet their underlying values dovetail. “It really is about a kindness to those around you.” Ward agrees but gently counters that the Mennonites are a cult. Hill nods, saying she still holds steadfast to the core Mennonite beliefs. “I’m maybe naïve because I’m a slow learner,” Hill says. “But not about nonviolence and love.” She traces the latter back to her grandmother, who, before she died, took Hill to Church often as a little girl. The coronavirus shutdown and accumulated worries find Ward and Hill plotting a future to emotionally soothe the present, a day President what’s-hisname signs a coronavirus aid package into law. They’ll convert the school buses into homes, create a tiny community. “Even my daughter thinks we should go off the grid,” Hill says, reminding her daughter to wash her hands after she steps to grab a banana. They have no money but there are books and a television (Ward has his video games) and music and some food stamps, and they are here together in a fear-hyped world at a loss for answers. Hill adds, “I don’t want to say I’m terrified. I am having anxiety because people are hoarding the necessities, which leaves people like us with no money to scrounge. I see old people at the store wondering where everything is, and I just cry.” ■
MARCH 26, 2020
CHOW
LOGAN BURTCH-BUUS
The closed down dining room at The Bagel Joint.
ON THE FLY
Now limited to takeout and delivery service, many of Tucson’s locally owned restaurants are hanging by thread By Austin Counts austin@tucsonlocalmedia.com
TUCSON’S VIBRANT RESTAURANT industry screeched to a halt at 8 p.m. on St. Patrick’s Day, as Mayor Regina Romero ordered all restaurants, bars, venues, gyms and places people congregate shut down until the end of March to slow the COVID-19 pandemic. While city restaurateurs prepared to either shut-down or become take-out / delivery only, the Pop’s Hot Chicken food truck sat smoldering in Caps and Corks parking lot. The beloved food truck’s generator overheated and within minutes flames engulfed the back-end. The Marana Fire Department contained the blaze within minutes. Luckily, no one was hurt. “(The fire) didn’t burn any of the inside so I’ll probably be able to repair it, but we took a major hit. We only park at bars now and since all the bars are closing, there’s a lot of uncertainty,” Peter Yucupicio, owner of Pop’s Hot Chicken. “It’s like the urgency to repair (the truck) versus saving the little bit of money we’re making at American Eat Co.? We’re trying to assess what’s the priority right now.” At the beginning of March, Yucupicio opened a stall at southside food court, American Eat Co. selling his delicious
Nashville-style hot chicken sandwiches to lines of customers. Now, he’s only able to sell them to-go, that is of course, if people are making the trip out. “My heart goes out to all businesses. Some of us are day-to-day, week-to-week operations,” Yucupicio said. “It’s a scary, scary, scary time and I’m hoping we’ll be able to survive.” But what hurt Yucupicio the most about the situation is not being to help feed the children of the Pascua-Yaqui Nation. “What hurts the most is we were scheduled to provide meals to some of the kids who are out of school. Now I’m out of a truck,” Yucupicio said. “Being Yaqui, that’s the first thing I want to do is help my people during this time but it’s wavering because I don’t know how we’re getting out there.” On Tucson’s Historic Fourth Avenue, Maria Mazon prepared her restaurant, Boca Tacos y Tequila, to begin selling through a to-go window. With her menu glued to the window and service counter all set, Mazon took her first order, five minutes before officially opening for the day, “Thanks for calling Boca...ok, fire away…” “I’m not going to lie, it’s scary. But you can’t let the fear control you,” Mazon said. “I worry about my 27 employees. I’ll be fine. I’m married and my wife has a good job, but
I worry about my kitchen.” Boca is a certified UNESCO City of Gastronomy restaurant that is typically filled to capacity on any given day. Mazon said she’s trying to stay positive during the pandemic and the community of Tucson continues to amaze her with its resilience during this unprecedented time. “When life hands you lemons, make margaritas,” Mazon said. “It’s scary, but also challenging as a business person, humbling as a chef, but beautiful as a community. Tucson is showing its true colors.” Up the street on Fourth Avenue, Tallboys prepared to close its doors until city restaurants can go back to dine-in seating. The decision to lay off staff during this time wasn’t easy, said Tallboys owner Ben Schneider, but necessary for his restaurant’s survival. “We were going to go the take-out route but it seemed unreasonable to put my staff at risk,” Schneider said. “I just don’t think the to-go route is going to be viable. There’s too many employees here and I would pretty much have to lay off half my staff anyway. It doesn’t seem worth it to me.” In Scheider’s opinion, his restaurant would just be another in this impromptu mosaic of take-out/delivery restaurants competing with each other for business that isn’t there. “I feel like everyone is making drastic moves right off the bat,” Schneider said. “I’m here looking down the street while everyone is doing the delivery/to-go thing and you don’t see a line of cars waiting outside, you know?” Schneider said he is expecting government compensation for the shutdown and is urging his employees to sign up for government benefits while out of work. Schneider is preparing to be shut down for longer than the proposed 15 days. He said he expects to be closed for up to three months. “I’ve been telling all my employees it’s really unreasonable to think it’s only going to last till the end of the month,” Schneider said. In the Catalina Foothills, Max Bazil prepares to shut down his family’s over 40-year-old Italian restaurant, Bazil’s, while his other spot specializing in gourmet pizza, Bazil’s To-Go flourishes. The Chicago native has been in the restaurant business all his life and said he has never seen anything like this. “Bazil’s To-Go is kinda built for this type of problem, you know what I mean? I’ve been doing delivery and take-out for almost 30 years now and we’re always busy. But
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Visit TucsonWeekly.com for a list of Tucson-area restaurants offering take-out and delivery. If you would like your restaurant added to the list, email tucsoneditor@tucsonlocalmedia.com. we’re really rockin’ now,” Bazil said. “But I’m going through a lot of problems with a shut down at one place and an increase with the other.” Bazil said his family, who owns the dine-in restaurant, and the employees are “taking a 100 percent pay cut” but he is trying to keep everyone and everything afloat while the smaller restaurant continues to profit. “I’m gonna try and feed the Foothills as long as I can, you know. This place is feeding the salaries of the employees in my big restaurant,” Bazil said. “We’re in survival mode and maybe we can pull this off. They’re saying we can come back in a few weeks but according to the financial news, it seems like it’s going to be longer.” In central Tucson, another Chicago native is adapting to the temporary shut down. Rocco Digrazia, owner of Rocco’s Little Chicago is going back to delivery, something the restaurant stopped seven years ago because it extended wait-times during their dinner rush. Rocco’s Little Chicago is another UNESCO City of Gastronomy certified restaurant. “We have an untapped market of delivery customers that we have never really been able to serve,” Digrazia said. “I think we’ll gain some of the market share we would’ve lost from not having dine-in.” But Digrazia isn’t fooling himself about how long business will last with the recently unemployed as they start tightening their budgets without incoming paychecks. He is another in a long line of restaurateurs who don’t believe their businesses will be fully opened by April 1. “It’s going to be diminishing returns as people drain their bank accounts and don’t have the hours to back them up,” Digrazia said. “Six weeks, we’ll be able to survive. After that, all bets are off.” Digrazia said while he has never seen anything like the COVID-19 shut down, he’s seen hard times before in the restaurant industry and he’ll definitely stay open, even if he has to go back to a skeleton crew. “I guarantee you Rocco’s Little Chicago will survive this. I’ll remortgage my house. There is no reason for me to go under,” Digrazia said. “I didn’t think 20 years after being in business I might be back to square one. But I’m completely ready to do that. This is my only trick, bro.” ■
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COVID-19 Resources
Road, is open from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday, and from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on first and third Saturdays.
The COVID-19 situation seems to change every moment, affecting everything from our jobs to our bathroom habits to our screentime. Below are just a few resources you may be able to turn to for help. Watch this space and TucsonWeekly.com for more help.
Senior Shopping
The University of Arizona campus pantry is still open to students, but with a new location and hours. Bring a CatCard and a grocery bag to the Sonora Room (first floor of the Student Union Memorial Center, next to Wells Fargo) from 2 to 4 p.m. on Tuesdays and 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Wednesdays and Fridays. Emergency food bags are also available in the Dean of Students office, located in the Nugent Building.
by Emily Dieckman
The following stores have specialized shopping hours reserved for seniors and/or those at high risk of contracting COVID-19
Churches, nonprofits and other organizations operate several other foodbanks throughout town. Visit Foodpantries.org/ci/az-tucson for a full list of places to turn.
Albertsons: 7 to 9 a.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays AJ’s: 5 to 6 a.m. on Wednesdays. Bashas: 5 to 6 a.m. on Wednesdays Dollar General: 8 to 9 a.m. at Tucson locations (first hour stores are open) Food City: 5 to 6 a.m. on Wednesdays Safeway: 7 to 9 a.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays Target: 8 to 9 a.m. (first hour of shopping) every Wednesday, for “vulnerable guests,” including those over 65, pregnant women or others defined by the CDC as vulnerable or at-risk. Walmart: 6 to 7 a.m. (one hour before regular opening) on Tuesdays. Whole Foods: 7 to 8 a.m. (one hour before opening) The Salvation Army Tucson is organizing a food drive of non-perishable food and emergency relief supplies for delivery to those that are both 65 and over and need assistance with shopping. To register for food and supply delivery to your home, call Genesis Carcamo at 795-4504 (bilingual, Spanish and English) or call one of the following locations • Salvation Army Hospitality House, 1002 N. Main Ave. 795-9671 • Salvation Army All Nations Corps Community Center, 1001 N. Richey. 795-4504 • Salvation Army Amphi Corps Community Center, 218 E. Prince. 888-1299 • Salvation Army Green Valley Service Center, 555 N. La Canada Drive, Suite 101A. 625-3888.
Childcare/Education
Amphi School District has a list of fun resources for learning at home, including math games, free worksheets and printables, Duolingo and virtual field trips to places like the Louvre and the Great Wall of China. Visit amphi.com. Expect More Arizona has a list of learning resources for kids and suggestions for how to talk to your kids about COVID-19, as well as resources in Spanish. Though the Pima County Public Libraries are closed until further notice, you can still access digital materials 24/7 (and the due dates for items have been extended). Arizona educator Joy Novack Rosson compiled a list of resources on ways to learn at home, including a website to explore the surface of Mars, elementary science lessons and classes for older teens or adults. Visit roostermoney.com/gb/ learning-at-home-list for the complete list.
Finances
If your small business has been impacted by the outbreak, you may be eligible for an Economic Injury Disaster Loan to pay fixed debts, accounts payable, payroll and other bills. Find more information at sba.gov. The Community Action Agency Pima County works with partners who provide programs for low-income families and the larger community. They may be able to provide rent help (including mortgage assistance and eviction prevention), financial assistance, health care support or food assistance. Call 724-2667 or visit needhelppayingbills.com
DANYELLE KHMARA/FILE PHOTO
The Tucson YMCA is currently using their facilities to run critical childcare for working families—prioritizing service for “health care workers, first responders and those providing vital services to our community.” They’ll keep kids in small groups, provide meals and entertainment, carefully sanitize surfaces and follow a handwashing schedule. Visit tucsonymca. org/program/springbreak to learn more. The Boys and Girls Club of Tucson is offering emergency childcare starting Monday, March 23 at the Frank & Edith Morton Clubhouse, 3155 E. Grant Road. Service is limited to 60 children between the ages of 5 and 12 whose parents are “essential and critical workers in the community.” They’ll also keep kids in small groups, provide meals and entertainment, carefully sanitize surfaces and follow a handwashing schedule.
Food
The Community Food Bank of Southern Arizona has adjusted its service hours and switched to a drive-by model for food distribution in Marana and at the Country Club location in Tucson. Temporary hours are below. Call 622-0525 or visit communityfoodbank.org/ covid-19-update for more information on where
to find food. • Tucson: Tuesday-Friday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. • Marana: Effective Wednesday, March 25, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. and Wednesday from 3 to 6 p.m. • Amado: Effective Tuesday, March 24, Thursdays from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. • Green Valley: Effective Tuesday, March 24, Tuesday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Wednesday & Friday from 9 a.m. to noon. • Nogales: Effective Tuesday, March 24, Tuesday, Thursday & Friday from 9 a.m. to noon and Wednesday from 9 to 10 a.m. (SENIORS ONLY); 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. for all other visitors Tucson Food Share is a program sharing free groceries for Tucsonans impacted by COVID-19. They accept bulk donations or purchase wholesale, pack them for individual households in a sanitary environment and distribute or deliver them. Pick up is 5 to 7 p.m. on Mondays and 8 to 10 a.m. on Thursdays at 600 N. Fourth Ave. The Interfaith Community Services Food Bank is still open. The ICS Foodbank, at 2820 W. Ina Road, is open from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Monday through Saturday, as well as 5 to 7 p.m. on Tuesdays. The Eastside Food Bank, at the New Spirit Lutheran Church, 8701 E. Old Spanish
The Restaurant Workers Community Fund has compiled a list of resources to help restaurants and workers who have been negatively impacted by the virus, including a relief fund the organization is developing itself. Also, news about unemployment, other relief funds, financial assistance and health care. Visit restaurantworkerscf.org. The Community Foundation for Southern Arizona is creating two relief funds for nonprofit organizations impacted by COVID-19. The COVID-19 Event Relief Fund will support nonprofits who have had to cancel fundraising events in response to the virus, and the COVID-19 Community Support Fund will support nonprofits experiencing increased service demands. Visit cfsaz.org/covid19 or call 770-0800 for more information. The Community Investment Corporation is supporting local small businesses via specialized loan products and partnerships. CIC’s immediate offerings will help bridge current and impending gaps in cash flow for small businesses as the details for a government stimulus package and qualifications for assistance are finalized. CIC can offer business microloans of up to $10,000 and is making any small biz affected by COVID-19 eligible for its nonprofit partnership and enhanced community benefit rates of 3%. Loan terms can also be extended out to 5 years as needed. Additional loans with interest-only payments for up to six months may also be available, along with other loan alternatives. For details, visit CICTucson.org. ■
MARCH 26, 2020
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MARCH 26, 2020
ARTS & CULTURE COURTESY PHOTO
A detail from “La Pared, Nogales [the wall], 2020,” by Jack Balas, is on display in Go Figure, continuing through May 30 at Etherton Gallery, which remains open, for now, at 135 S. Sixth Ave.
ART IN THE TIME OF CORONAVIRUS Museums mostly shut, but some galleries soldier on—for now
By Margaret Regan tucsonweekly@tucsonlocalmedia.com
that. And with just a few visitors at a time, “we have plenty of room” for patrons to stay the 6 feet apart required by social distancOVER THE LAST TWO WEEKS, ing. A strict “don’t touch” policy is in force Tucson’s art museums have closed down and staffers are gloved. one by one, their grim announcements Here’s a quick list of galleries still open syncing with the worsening national news at press time. It’s essential to call before you about the coronavirus pandemic. Some go, lest your favorite gallery suddenly goes galleries have closed as well (see accompa- dark. Pay attention to public health guidenying box for closures). lines and do not go out if you feel sick. But while would-be museum patrons are Etherton is keeping regular hours for its home honing their self-isolation skills and new show, Go Figure—a prescient title if perusing art online, other art lovers are ever there was one. practicing social distancing at the galleries The exhibition zeroes in on “figurative that remain open. work by great artists,” Glasston says. As of this writing, Tucson has not orArt by all four of the artists can be dered a total lockdown, but health advisors viewed from home at https://www.artsy.net/ are counselling people to just stay home. show/etherton-gallery-go-figure. Nevertheless, some independent arts spacTitus Constanza, a classically trained es are keeping the doors open for now. painter, tries something new with large Etherton Gallery is open on a “day to day collages that track his life. Holly Roberts basis,” says director Hannah Glasston, a of New Mexico, a longtime gallery artist, modus operandi shared by all the galleries is showing mixed media wall works that that have chosen to stay open. combine abstract painting with scraps of Like the other galleries, Etherton is photos; her spouse, Robert Wilson, carves following public health guidelines and whimsical animas out of wood. “cleaning like mad.” Jack Balas makes lively paintings of “We have plenty of hand sanitizer,” southwest subjects that, among other Glasston says. “We don’t allow more than things, cover the horrors of the border, now 10 people” at one time in the gallery, and made infinitely worse by pandemic politics. on most days the numbers are closer to half
In the Pop-up gallery, the gifted Tucson painter Benjamin Johnson has created “visual poems of the human experience.” 135 S. Sixth Ave., 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., Tuesday through Saturday, until June. ethertongallery.com. 624-7370. Another downtown stalwart, Philabaum Glass Gallery has reduced its hours, but if you happen to be nearby outside those hours try calling and a staffer may be able to let you in. The current show, Tapestries in Glass, showcases the colorful art of Richard Parrish. “It’s gorgeous work, not like anyone else’s,” says the gallery’s Dabney Philabaum. 711 S. Sixth Ave., 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., Tuesday through Saturday, philabaumglass. com. 884-7404. In the arts warehouse district, Davis Dominguez Gallery is sticking to regular day hours. The lovely current exhibition, Of the Flesh -- Figure Show, features figurative work by Bailey Doogan, Judith Stern and Jan Olsson. 154 E. Sixth St., 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., Tuesday through Friday, and 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., davisdominguez.com, 629-9759. Contreras Gallery next door is open during the day, but its popular First Saturday evening openings are cancelled. Arizona Scenes, ending March 25, features traditional watercolors by father-and-son artists Frank and Owen Rose. Next up, April 4 through May 30, is Cats and Dogs: An Abstract Perspective.” Gallerist Michael Contreras continues showcasing his elegant hand-made jewelry. 110 E. Sixth St., 10 to 3:30 p.m., Wednesday through Saturday. Conterashousefineart.com. 398-6557. Gallery 2 Sun, west of Contreras, is also running on its regular schedule. The current show, up through May, highlights three artists. Danielle Neibling, daughter of sculptor Judith Stewart at Davis Dominguez, creates abstract paintings and 3-D works. Barbara Gurwitz, known for dense paintings of villages and the like, has turned to largescale minimalist works. George Strasburger, a classical painter inspired by Goya is a “master in our midst,” says the gallery’s Athena Roesler. 100 E. Sixth St.; 1 to 5 p.m. Wednesday to Saturday; www.gallery2sun.com. 360-8074. Raices Taller 222 is open by appointment only for viewing the exhibition Viviendo Verde/Living Green, where all the artworks are made out of recycled material. One work, by artist Donna Stoner, is an 8-foot-tall junkyard guy whose head is an upside-down watering can. Through April
Art Museum and Gallery Closings On the UA campus, the Center for Creative Photography, the University of Arizona Museum of Art and the Arizona State Museum have all shuttered their doors. Downtown, the Tucson Museum of Art and MOCA-Tucson are both closed. So is the Tucson Desert Art Museum on the east side. Some galleries have gone dark. The Exhibit Hall in Tohono Chul Park is shut down along with the rest of the park attractions. Maderas Gallery is closed, though it’s offering on-line purchases and drive-through pickups. Untitled Gallery, housed in Steinfeld Warehouse, will be closed at least until April 15, meaning that its Jessie Shinn solo show is on hiatus. Steinfeld, which houses a number of art spaces, will host no public events during this time span; the First Saturday Art Walk is cancelled. United invites art lovers to check out their artists online at untitledgallerytucson.com and on social media. The Drawing Studio, part school, part gallery, is shut but its current show has migrated online to thedrawingstudio.org. Check out some nice paintings and drawings. The studio noted that even closing the space for two weeks deprives the nonprofit of about $35,000, a sobering statistic that will likely hit home for many art venues during the coronavirus crisis.
18. 218 E. Sixth St., www.raicestaller; appointment only. 881-5335. Up in the Foothills, Jane Hamilton Fine Art is staying open seven days a week from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. The March exhibition features traditional landscape painter Tom Murray, western painter Santos Barbosa, ceramicist Brian Beamish(cq), and wildlife painter Rose Collins. April brings the Spring Sculpture Show, surveying 15 sculptors in a year when the large-scale outdoor Sculpture Tucson show has been cancelled. 2890 E. Skyline Drive, Ste. 180, Plaza Colonial at SW corner of Skyline and Campbell; hours 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday; 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday to Saturday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., Sunday; janehamiltonfineart. com. 529-4886. Mark Sublette Medicine Man Gallery, specializing in Native American and western art, including paintings by the revered Maynard Dixon, has temporarily eliminated Sunday hours. But it’s open as usual 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday. 6872 E. Sunrise Drive #130; medicinemangallery.com.722-7798 Settlers West Galleries’ new show Women Artists of the West 50th National Juried Exhibition runs March 25 to April 17. 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Saturday. 6872 E. Sunrise Drive. Settlerswest.com. 299-2607. ■
MARCH 26, 2020
CINEMA
LIVING ROOM THEATER
FILM MOVEMENT
Loft Cinema, Casa Video face COVID spread with new watch-at-home options By Jeff Gardner jeff@tucsonlocalmedia.com
password to view the film. The Loft Cinema will be splitting the revenue with the film’s distributor 50/50. This money will go directly to their employees and essential opWITH MASS BUSINESS CLOSURES erational costs while their theater is closed. and event cancMelations, Tucsonans are The Loft Cinema is currently streaming: finding themselves with ample time to Saint Frances. Winner of the SXSW work through that seemingly endless “to Film Festival Audience Award, this feature watch” movie list. But along with the news film debut by director Alex Thompson of shuttered businesses come pleas to examines the humor and difficulty found support those community establishments in girlhood, womanhood and motherhood. struggling to make it through the next few The story follows a nanny who forms an weeks. Luckily for Tucson, two of the most beloved local spots to watch a film still have unlikely friendship with the 6-year-old she’s tasked with taking care of. (104 minutes. movie options available. Streaming ticket $12) With the encroaching pandemic, The Corpus Christi. This 2020 Academy Loft Cinema first announced they would Award nominee for Best International Feabe limiting the amount of tickets sold to ture explores faith and atonement against reduce crowd sizes, before closing their theater altogether. But on Friday, March 20, the backdrop of a detention center. Lead The Loft announced they would be hosting actor Bartosz Bielenia’s performance was celebrated for his passion and character streaming opportunities for four arthouse films not available on other streaming plat- depth as a minister of a small-town parish. Can he help heal the community reeling forms. Loft fans can purchase an “e-ticket” from a terrible tragedy or tear them further for the films and are then sent a link and
apart? (115 minutes. In Polish with English subtitles. Streaming ticket $12) Bacurau. Described as the best John Carpenter movie that’s not actually a John Carpenter movie, Bacurau is part horror, part “acid Western” and simultaneously a riff on film genres in general. Bacurau was directed by Brazilian duo Juliano Dornelles and Kleber Mendonça Filho, and blends culture and mental states as much as it does genre. (132 minutes. In Portuguese and English with English subtitles. Streaming ticket $12) Dona Flor and Her Two Husbands. Unique among their streaming options, the Loft is also offering up a new restoration of this 1976 sex comedy. Upon release, Dona Flor became an arthouse smash and the most successful film in Brazilian history, and also launched the career of actress Sonia Braga. Internationally, Dona Flor also received nominations for both a Golden Globe and a BAFTA Award. (110 minutes. In Portuguese with English subtitles. Streaming ticket $12) While their “film bar” is closed, Casa Video is still offering movie rentals, and are even doing some curbside service. According to Casa, all movies are now available for 14 days (except for one-day rentals). Instead of their normal 10-item limit, you can have up to 20 rentals out at a time. All rentals are being cleaned with disinfectant when they are being returned and when they are checked out. And for curbside service, just call ahead with a list of desired movie titles and concessions, just make sure you have an active and valid Casa Video in-store account. You will pay with your debit or credit card over the phone, and call them when you arrive and they will bring your items out to your vehicle. And while their bar area is closed for drinking, you can still select a beverage from their extensive beer and cider collection to enjoy with your movie at home. ■
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By Jeff Gardner jeff@tucsonlocalmedia.com While local movie theaters are closed for the time being because of the darn pandemic, you’re likely not cut off from wonderful cinema. In fact, this must just be the time to get through all those movies you’ve been meaning to watch. So here’s a list of some films you can stream online to help you pass the time. You’re stuck at home, why not watch some great flicks? These are all on NetFlix.
Snowpiercer. Considering how director Bong Joon-Ho’s 2019 masterwork Parasite took the film world by storm, it’s worth looking back at his eclectic filmography. While The Host is my personal favorite of his, Snowpiercer is readily available on Netflix streaming. Bong's English-language debut, Snowpiercer is a post-apocalyptic thriller that leaves room for poignancy and symbolism. The film follows a group of people on a train carrying the last remnants of humanity after the world freezes over. While many of Bong's films depict characters struggling against "the system," none of them confront that system quite as definitely and intensely as Snowpiercer. CONTINUED ON PAGE 20
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THE COVID SESSIONS
WaveLab Recording Studio to begin live streaming local musicians By Jeff Gardner Jeff@tucsonlocalmedia.com
AT 8 P.M. TUESDAY, MARCH 17, every restaurant, bar, club and cafe in the City of Tucson closed its doors through the end of the month in an attempt to slow the rapid spread of the COVID-19 virus. While this obviously dealt a massive blow to the food and hospitality industries, it also stripped local musicians of vital performance opportunities. As the world takes modern approaches to this virus, such as switching to online shopping and self-isolation, so is WaveLab Recording Studio, by setting up live streaming opportunities for local musicians and performers. WaveLab founder Craig Schumacher says now is the time to drop petty competition and trash talk, as the only way local musicians can survive this period of
isolation is by joining together to show off their talents. “I built the infrastructure for livestreaming a while back, but it didn’t really catch on,” Schumacher said. “But it seems like the moment this thing turned inward and everyone was stuck at home, I thought of live streaming and threw the idea out there and it kind of blew up.” While no roster of musicians or performance schedules are ready yet, Schumacher is busy coordinating with local artists. So far, WaveLab is abiding by the current status quo to close down through the end of the month and will begin live streaming when the time is right. “It’s kind of a moving target with what we can and can’t do because of self-isolation and travel,” Schumacher said. “I have a facility that can host people, but the question is when can I host people? I feel like there’s going to be this pause, and then for a longer period of time clubs still won’t be able to host people. I feel like then it will be OK for me to host healthy musicians and people in groups in certain parameters.” Schumacher says this delay gives him time to plan, but it can still feel overwhelming as so many musicians are looking for ways to remain active during this social shutdown. Local songwriters like Brian
Lopez, Naim Amor and Loveland have expressed interest in joining the live streaming, with Lopez planned to kick the whole thing off. “Artists need to do their art, and it’s super frustrating to lose that moment where you were going to express yourself with everything you’ve worked so hard on. It’s the same thing athletes are feeling, where they worked so hard and it’s just getting taken away,” Schumacher said. “I’m always the person who doesn’t like to see things that are valuable and can work sitting idle.” While WaveLab contains an extensive array of instruments and recording equipment, it does not have much experience in live streaming. In addition to coordinating with performers, Schumacher is working out the logistics of a live stream, including which site to host it on and how to monetize the performances: stream on Twitch? Have viewers pay up front or offer donations? He says it’s important for the program to feel as though it is being done with a feeling of community spirit, and not explicitly for money or as if it’s taking advantage of the situation, but he admits he also can’t do it for free. “How can we be empowered to have everyone in this community still get that
income stream that they’d normally get? I know live streaming is part of it, but it’s not the whole solution, because you can’t set up a live streaming network that will replace your established spot every Wednesday night at a club you have an audience for. It has to be outside of the box,” Schumacher said. “We’re in uncharted territory. But what I do know is that I have the facility and ability to do it. It would be not that difficult to do, and not that hard to set up a schedule.” The WaveLab live streams are a “broad stroke” idea, and may also include stand-up comics, various band combinations and artistic mediums and more. “As a community, as Tucson in general, we’ve been through these highs and these lows. We’re all in this together. I can be one of many outlets for these artists,” Schumacher said. “I feel like anybody who has an investment in the similar thing that I do, which is any kind of cameras and switching and can hook up to the internet, is kind of duty-bound to say, ‘How can I step up and help out?’… Every genre, every musician, everybody who plays should be able to have a shot at whatever we’re doing.” ■ WaveLab is currently accepting performer applications, for more information, visit wavelabstudio.com
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Medical Marijuana
KEEPING CORONAVIRUS OUT OF CANNABIS Dispensaries remain open, but with some changes By Nick Meyers tucsonweekly@tucsonlocalmedia.com WHILE MANY BUSINESSES IN major metropolitan areas have closed their doors for the foreseeable future, medical cannabis patients don’t have to worry
about most dispensaries closing. Tucson Southern Arizona Integrated Therapies is the only dispensary in Tucson that has temporarily closed for now. In fact, most have seen booming business since the COVID-19 outbreak as worried cardholders stock up on cannabis.
Since cannabis is a medicine, it is an essential service and dispensaries will continue to sell products as usual, said Sam Richard, Executive Director for the Arizona Dispensaries Association. But “everyone’s doing things a little differently,” he said. Several dispensaries have posted notices on their websites detailing their response to COVID-19 emphasizing patient and employee safety and following Centers for Disease Control guidelines. Common precautions include limiting the number of patients inside the
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dispensary, only allowing people in the waiting room and frequently wiping down surfaces. Dispensaries have encouraged employees who feel sick to use their paid time off. Many dispensaries have also changed their hours, opening late, closing early or both. Some, like TruMed in Phoenix, have transitioned to fulfilling online orders only, while others still allow to-go orders if patients know what they want. Downtown Dispensary in Tucson has installed special air filters to ensure a sterile environment. However, many dispensaries have seen stocked items dwindle, especially regarding flower. But shortages are the result of the sudden purchasing shock, Richard said, and dispensaries should have their usual menu items available within a couple days. Dispensaries across the country experienced a spike in sales over the second weekend of March, but industry experts see little need for concern for the moment. Dispensaries may not update online menus daily, so call ahead to find out which products remain available. However, CONTINUED ON PAGE 18
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keep in mind that dispensary workers are likely busy right now and you may have to wait on the line to talk to someone. Though patients susceptible to respiratory illness likely avoid inhalation products already, patients concerned about contracting the virus may consider other products such as edibles, oils or tinctures. Some dispensaries have recommended ill patients stay home to avoid exposing the virus to other susceptible patients. But dispensaries with delivery will continue to provide the service and other may yet decide to adopt delivery mechanisms should social isolation continue. In the event of extended isolation, dispensaries may also begin offering more online deals while suspending others. Many social gatherings, such as lounges and this month’s Marijuana Industry Trade Association meeting have also been closed or canceled, said Tim Sultan
with MITA. The main concern lies with elderly and other vulnerable patients, Richard said. More than 20 percent of Arizona patients are older than 61 years old, according to the Arizona Department of Health’s February report. About 5,300 patients have illnesses like cancer or AIDS that could compromise their immune system. While business remains relatively steady for now, the virus may still have impacts on the industry. Much of the cannabis industry’s packaging and hardware production occurs in China, where the virus began. For example, vape cartridge manufacturer CCell, located in the Shenzhen region of China, produces most the country’s cannabis cartridges. With workers quarantined and production ceased, industry supply chains could be interrupted by the virus. For now though, patients can stay home and medicate at least knowing they’ll retain access to cannabis. ■
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MARCH 26, 2020
FREE WILL ASTROLOGY
By Rob Brezsny. Go to RealAstrology.com to check out Rob Brezsny’s EXPANDED WEEKLY HOROSCOPE 1-877-873-4888 or 1-900-950-7700 $1.99 per minute. 18 and over. Touchtone phone required.
ARIES (March 21-April 19): Singapore has one of the world’s lowest fertility rate. A few years ago, this state of affairs prompted the government to urge Singaporeans to have sex on an annual holiday known as National Day. A new rap song was released in the hope of pumping up everyone’s libidos and instigating a baby boom. It included the lyrics, “Let’s make fireworks ignite/Let’s make Singapore’s birthrate spike.” I have a different reason for encouraging you to seek abundant high-quality sex, Aries. According to my analysis, tender orgasmic experiences will profoundly enhance your emotional intelligence in the coming weeks—and make you an excellent decision-maker just in time for your big decisions. (P.S. You don’t necessarily need a partner.) TAURUS (April 20-May 20): In the 1530s, explorer Jacques Cartier led expeditions from France to the New World. As Europeans often did back then, he and his team were rude and brutish to the indigenous folks who lived there, stealing their land, kidnapping some of them, and slaughtering herds of great auks in a bird sanctuary. Yet there was one winter when Cartier’s marauders got crucial help from their victims, who gave them vitamin C-rich pine needle tea that cured their scurvy. I suspect you Tauruses will embark on quests and journeys in the coming months, and I’m hoping your behavior will be different from Cartier’s. When you arrive in unfamiliar places, be humble, curious, and respectful. Be hesitant to impose your concepts of what’s true, and be eager to learn from the locals. If you do, you’re likely to get rich teachings and benefits equivalent to the pine needle tea. GEMINI (May 21-June 20): Many software engineers have enjoyed The Pragmatic Programmer, a book that helps them develop and refine their code. One popular technique the book offers is “rubber duck deprogramming.” Programmers place a toy rubber
duck in front of them, and describe to it the problems they’re having. As they explain each line of code to their very good listener, they may discover what’s amiss. I recommend a similar approach to you as you embark on metaphorically debugging your own program, Gemini. If a rubber duck isn’t available, call on your favorite statue or stuffed animal, or even a photo of a catalytic teacher or relative or spirit. CANCER (June 21-July 22): Read the following passage from Gabriel García Márquez’s novel One Hundred Years of Solitude. “Gaston was not only a fierce lover, with endless wisdom and imagination, but he was also, perhaps, the first man in the history of the species who had made an emergency landing and had come close to killing himself and his sweetheart simply to make love in a field of violets.” I admire the romantic artistry of Gaston’s dramatic gesture. I applaud his imaginative desire to express his love in a carefully chosen sanctuary filled with beauty. I praise his intense devotion to playful extravagance. But I don’t recommend you do anything quite so extreme in behalf of love during the coming weeks. Being twenty percent as extreme might be just right, though. LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): In his song “Diplomatic Immunity,” rapper Drake disparages tranquility and harmony. “I listen to heavy metal for meditation, no silence,” he brags. “My body isn’t much of a sacred temple, with vodka and wine, and sleep at the opposite times,” he declares. Is there a method in his madness? It’s revealed in these lyrics: “All that peace and that unity: all that weak sh-- will ruin me.” In the coming weeks, Leo, I urge you to practice the exact opposite of Drake’s approach. It’s time to treat yourself to an intense and extended phase of self-care. VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): It’s a favorable time to
SAVAGE LOVE CHEATERS CLUB
By Dan Savage, mail@savagelove.net
My question is on managing “gray area” intimacies during the pandemic. I have a lover/friend that I’ve been hanging out with—fucking, drinking tea, going on hikes, eating ice cream, watching movies and other activities—for about nine months. He’s 36 and was married for 10 years and due to that experience he’s been a bit emotionally “boundaried” but he’s still really sweet and a good communicator. I’m in grad school doing a double masters, so the small amount of time we’ve been spending together has worked well for me. Here’s the issue: he’s also an ER doctor. Do I keep seeing him during this pandemic? I just moved to the city where we both live
for my grad program and he’s my main source for connection, comfort and support here. Every time I see him we both feel tremendously less stressed and our connection feels emotionally healthy. I just know he is bound to be at a huge risk for exposure and since he’s not a committed partner and we don’t live together, I don’t know if he falls within or outside of my physical distancing boundary. It seems like the best thing to do from a logistical perspective is hole up with my cat and not see another soul in person until a vaccine is invented or something, but I don’t know when that will happen. —Physical Distancing Do’s And Don’ts
refresh your relationships with your basic sources and to make connections with new basic sources. To spur your creative thought on these matters, I offer the following questions to meditate on. 1. If you weren’t living where you do now, what other place might you like to call home? 2. If you didn’t have the name you actually go by, what other name would you choose? 3. If you had an urge to expand the circle of allies that supports and stimulates you, whom would you seek out? 4. If you wanted to add new foods and herbs that would nurture your physical health and new experiences that would nurture your mental health, what would they be? LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): Mushrooms have spores, not seeds. They’re tiny. If you could stack 2,500 of them, they’d be an inch high. On the other hand, they are numerous. A ripe mushroom may release up to 16 million spores. And each spore is so lightweight, the wind can pick it up and fling it long distances. I’ll encourage you to express your power and influence like a mushroom in the coming days: subtle and airy but abundant; light and fine, but relentless and bountiful. SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): “Sometimes the easiest way to get something done is to be a little naive about it,” writes computer engineer Bill Joy. I invite you to consider the value of that perspective, Scorpio—even though you’re the least likely sign in all the zodiac to do so. Being naive just doesn’t come naturally to you; you often know more than everyone else around you. Maybe you’ll be more receptive to my suggestion if I reframe the task. Are you familiar with the Zen Buddhist concept of “beginner’s mind”? You wipe away your assumptions and see everything as if it were the first time you were in its presence. SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): Is it always a bad thing to be lost? To wander in the unknown without a map? I’d like to propose a good version of being lost. It requires you to be willing to give up your certainties, to relinquish your grip on the comforting dogmas that have structured your world—but to do so gladly, with a spirit of cheerful expectancy and curiosity. It doesn’t require you to
“This is really a matter of a personal risk/benefit calculation,” said Dr. Daniel Summers, a pediatrician who lives and works near Boston. “What PDDAD is willing to accept as a risk may be different from what someone else would.” And there’s definitely a health benefit to getting together—we are social animals and isolation is bad for us—but your lover is at high risk of infection. And when front-line health care providers get infected, they tend to get sicker than the average person who gets infected, according to CNN, which is something else you need to factor into your risk/benefit calculation. Additionally, does your boyfriend’s workplace—I’m going to call him your boyfriend for clarity’s sake—have the protective gear he needs to minimize his risk of exposure?
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be a macho hero who feels no fear or confusion. Rather, you have faith that life will provide blessings that weren’t possible until you got lost. CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): “Worrying is the most natural and spontaneous of all human functions,” wrote science educator Lewis Thomas. “Let’s acknowledge this, perhaps even learn to do it better.” I agree with him! And I think it’s an ideal time for you to learn how to worry more effectively, more potently, and with greater artistry. What might that look like? First, you wouldn’t feel shame or guilt about worrying. You wouldn’t regard it as a failing. Rather, you would raise your worrying to a higher power. You’d wield it as a savvy tool to discern which situations truly need your concerned energy and which don’t. AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): “Some wounds go so deep that you don’t even feel them until months, maybe years, later,” wrote Aquarian author Julius Lester. Pay attention to that thought, Aquarius. The bad news is that you are just now beginning to feel a wound that was inflicted some time ago. But that’s also the good news, because it means the wound will no longer be hidden and unknowable. And because you’ll be fully aware of it, you’ll be empowered to launch the healing process. I suggest you follow your early intuitions about how best to proceed with the cure. PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): If you’ve been having dreams or fantasies that the roof is sinking or the walls are closing in, you should interpret it as a sign that you should consider moving into a more spacious situation. If you have been trapped within the narrow confines of limited possibilities, it’s time to break free and flee to a wide open frontier. In general, Pisces, I urge you to insist on more expansiveness in everything you do, even if that requires you to demolish cute little mental blocks that have tricked you into thinking small. ■ Homework: Saul Bellow wrote, “Imagination is a force of nature. Is this not enough to make a person full of ecstasy?” Do you agree? FreeWillAstrology. com.
“We’re all doing our best to take as many preventive steps to lower our risk of being exposed,” said Dr. Summers, “but there’s still a maddeningly unacceptable shortage of personal protective equipment like masks, gowns and gloves nationwide. I hope he has sufficient access to these things. But is there a risk he could get exposed to the virus at work? Definitely.” Dr. Summers lives with his husband and four children and in addition to the precautions he takes at work—where he may be seeing patients with coronavirus (he doesn’t know for sure because tests still aren’t available)—Dr. Summers strips down to his underwear on his front porch of his home when he gets home from work. His clothes go straight into the CONTINUED ON PAGE 20
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SAVAGE LOVE
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washing machine, he goes straight into the shower. “I’m still afraid of bringing it home,” said Dr. Summers. “But with four kids home from school, my husband’s sanity depends on my being present as much as I can. So for me, staying away isn’t an option. That’s not the case for PDDAD. She has to decide whether the un-definable risk of exposure isn’t worth it. Or, alternatively, she can decide the connection she has with him is important enough to her own well being that the risk is worth it. But only she can make that decision for herself.” If you decide the risk of infection is too great—or if your boyfriend decides the risk of infecting you is too great—you can still be there for each other. You can Skype and Zoom, you can text and sext, you can leave groceries on his porch and wave to him from the sidewalk. But if you decide to keep connecting with each other in person, PDDAD, you should minimize the amount of time you spend moving through the city to get to each other’s places. And that means—emotion-
al boundaries be damned—picking one of your apartments to hole up in together for the duration. You can follow Dr. Summers on Twitter @WFKARS and you can read him at Slate’s Outward. I’m a queer poly woman and I have a twopart question about sexting/Skype sex. I didn’t used to think twice about shooting off a nude or a nasty text in my twenties and I’ve never have qualms about casual relations. But for me there has always needed to be a baseline of friendship. After getting burned a bunch of times—especially by straight men (queers and other genders are generally way kinder)—I just wasn’t feeling it anymore. Fast forward a few years, after doing a lot of work I started feeling myself again. I started talking with a man that I’d met through mutual friends and flirted with a little in the past. I was upfront with him and told him I would be down to get dirty again sometime but needed to build up some form of friendship first. He enthusiastically agreed and started talking to me about this and that every other day or so. We were talking about
meeting up person when the coronavirus lockdown happened and now my libido has shot through the roof. We ended up exchanging photos and got off on FaceTime together. After that, crickets. I would send an innocuous question and get a two-word response. I feel really disrespected and used but at the same time I can see how he doesn’t owe me anything. I was in a similar situation like this before where a man told me that no matter what, he wanted our friendship to be a priority and then ghosted me immediately after we slept together. My questions: What can I do in the future to avoid this sort of situation? And, while we’re all in lockdown, do you have any advice on how to be hot over video when you’re generally a clumsy spaz? —Female Resents Insincere Efforts Necessitating Deceit Unfortunately, FRIEND, there’s no surefire way to prevent people from lying to you about being friends in order to get into your pants—virtually or eventually— or to prevent them from changing their minds about being friends once they’ve gotten into your pants. (The former is more likely, but the latter does happen.)
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City of God. A visceral and gorgeous film about the lives of young boys growing up in the slums of Brazil. But more than a crime or “hood film,” City of God shows how our environments can shape us, but how we also have the options to carve our own paths. It’s a balance of brutality, youth and odd beauty. It’s one of those movies where the director (Fernando Meirelles) so clearly says everything they want to say that no other film of theirs comes close to rivaling its power. Atlantics. I first saw this surreal drama at the Loft Film Fest last year. And while the Loft is closed for the time being, you can still enjoy the theater’s wonderfully odd taste online. Senegal's pick for the Best International Feature Film at the 2019 Academy Awards, Atlantics follows
Your only options are relying on your bullshit detectors to weed out people you think might be playing you and getting better at shrugging off, blocking, and forgetting the dishonest people who manage to get past your bullshit detectors. As for tips about being hot on Zoom or FaceTime or Fox Nation or whatever, I’m afraid I can’t help you there, FRIEND, as I am the clumsiest spaz that ever spazzed. I hate having my photo taken and if a room is dark enough for me to feel comfortable getting naked in it, it’s usually too dark for someone else to see me—whether they’re in the same room with me or sitting in front of a computer on the other side of the world. But someone who’s more at ease in front of the camera (and with whom I’m currently quarantined) tells me that slightly dimmed lighting is better than harsh lighting, leaving something on is hotter than taking it all off, and—if you want to maintain your anonymity—keeping your face and any identifying tattoos out of the shot is a good idea. ■ mail@savagelove.net Follow Dan on Twitter @FakeDanSavage www.savagelovecast.com the inequality and listlessness left when refugees leave their home countries. And while Atlantics uses the ongoing European migrant crisis as a backdrop, it moves into the mystical and nocturnal without looking back. This is French-Senegalese actress Mati Diop's feature directorial debut, and she proved she has an eye for both style and suspense.
The Ballad of Buster Scruggs. The latest work by the Coen Brothers is an anthology of Western vignettes ranging from humorous to violent to outright gorgeous. And while the stories don't intertwine in unexpected or clever ways, it's an absolute treat seeing a wide range of actors (Liam Neeson, Tom Waits, James Franco, Brendan Gleeson) get caught up in their wacky western world. While it’s not the best Coen Brothers film, it’s certainly the best of their most recent string of films. ■
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FIGHTING THE BUG
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to the states, counties and localities as CDC usually does early on in a situation like this, and allowing states to use the testing kits they had developed without federal approval, which was just done a few days ago. So those are a few things that could have been done, but the issues remain that there is a tremendous lack of available testing kits, despite statements that they were available to all. Going forward, how can national governments work with disease experts and healthcare experts to effectively respond to this rapidly changing situation? There’s several critically important aspects of this. Unmuzzling the experts, allowing the scientist to help guide from their perspectives as we move forward, collaborating among states, local counties and local municipalities with a leadership that allows for uniform implementation of appropriate rules and regulations and guidelines, and collaboration across the globe with other nations and with the World Health Organization in a meaningful way to gather the expertise, as well as the information from our global partners. What makes COVID-19 different from the common cold or the flu? It’s very infectious, but most importantly, it has a higher mortality rate. The mortality rate that’s been published is around 3 percent. That’s likely elevated above what we’ll see because the people who’ve been tested were the really sick ones, so the mortality rate would be higher. If we were able to test everyone, more than likely, the mortality rate may be down as low as 1 percent, but that’s still 10 times the mortality rate for the flu, which is 0.1 percent. So if you combine the contagiousness with the mortality rate, it makes it a much greater challenge to control and with the potential for much more devastating results. Do you think other countries are taking the right steps by doing total lockdowns to prevent the spread? It depends on the situation. The response needs to be graded depending on the severity of the disease in the population. In places that have low rates, no it’s probably not appropriate. In places
that have high rates, like Italy does, it’s very appropriate, because they’re overrunning their healthcare system, and so the idea of flattening the curve, that critically important idea to minimize the exposure of individuals so that we can maintain our integrity as a healthcare system is incredibly important.
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Do you think the U.S. should be preparing to do the same? I think that it depends on the severity of increase, but if we find ourselves where we are maxing out our medical treatment opportunities, then we have to do what we have to do to save lives and maintain order within the U.S. Is it a positive sign that the number of new cases in China is decreasing? Can we look to them as an example for how to get past this pandemic? China, being the autocratic government that it is, was able to impose very strict rules quite early and were able to contain the outbreak pretty effectively. That’s why they’re seeing the downturn already and within the United States, we hope that we’ll be able to make a similar JEN SORENSEN type of reduction in the number of cases within six weeks to a few months. I do think that with the interventions over time, we will be able to see a decrease and it’s also likely that this will continue to be a flu-like disease that many of us will have antibodies to in the future that won’t be near as severe. The issue right now is that no one has antibodies to it so it’s extremely contagious. Anything else you’d like to add? One, I think it’s critically important that we maintain our healthcare workers. I think that we haven’t been as successful in protecting them as we should be, and they’re our critical lifeline. We need to make sure that the nurses, the techs, the doctors, PAs, nurse practitioners, have adequate supplies to be able to protect themselves as they protect us and treat us. Secondly, I think that regardless of what’s happened up to this point, it’s now up to us as a nation of Americans to fight this disease and to combat this pandemic. We must follow the CDC guidelines. And we will overcome this, there will be casualties, but we will indeed get through this. ■
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SAVE BIG on HOME INSURANCE! Compare 20 A-rated insurances companies. Get a quote within minutes. Average savings of $444/year! Call 855-602-7212! (M-F 8am-8pm Central) (AzCAN) HEALTHY LIVING/FITNESS Deeply Relaxing Massage by David I have over 25 years of experience and I work out of my Quiet, private studio Happy to work with both men and women Call David 520-591-8780 TRANSFORMATIONAL BODYWORK Relaxing Massage and breathwork for body and soul. Private studio, always a comfortable environment. LYNN 520-954-0909
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740 E. Speedway (Corner of Euclid & Speedway)
www.firstchristianchurchtucson.org
Apply online at www.centurionjobs.com or contact Katie at 508-329-8370 or katie@teamcenturion.com for more info.
e are an open and affirming Christian community, called to Seek God, Love like Jesus, and Serve the World.
We look forward to working with you! EOE
Weekly Worship - Sundays at 10:30 a.m. Sunday School - all ages 9 a.m. Come worship with us! There is much we can do together.
TUCSONWEEKLY.COM 23
MARCH 26, 2020
Announcements MEETINGS/EVENTS Tucson Singletarians A friendly, active social club since 1971 for single adults 50 yrs & older. Potlucks, dine outs, dances, game days, trips, etc. 5:00-7:00 PM Social Hours Wed/West side and Thurs/ East side at various monthly locations. For a newsletter, contact 326-9174 or www. singletariansocial.com
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medicine of troubles,” per Horace 48 Town that inspired “The House of the Seven Gables” 49 Goes (through) laboriously 53 Pirate plunder … or a hint to interpreting an appropriate number of squares in this puzzle 59 Adult 61 At dinner and then the cinema, say 62 What a volcano may leave 63 Opposite of drain 64 One may be held by candlelight 65 Hat worn by Charles de Gaulle 66 Go down 67 Chicago’s ___ Expressway 68 Taste
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MARCH 26, 2020
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