As the coronavirus continues to spread already are looking to the world beyond the crisis with hope.
As with nearly every other facet of society, the pandemic has upended the way local advocacy groups reach their communities, leaving them unable to connect as intimately as before, as gatherings of people, a hugely important aspect of local activism, have been barred.
“When you don’t have a lot of organized money, you have to organize people as kind of a counterweight to try to influence policy makers and decision makers,” said local social justice advocate Chris Harris.
Before the coronavirus pandemic, advocacy organizations would meet with groups of people, attend meetings at City Hall and try to reach people and elected leaders face-to-face. Now, that work has moved into the digital space.
With so many people struggling in the economic fallout of the COVID-19 pandemic, it’s even more difficult to engage with people, and get them to take action, he said.
“While we may have more time on our hands, for many, maybe it’s even more difficult to do something that’s not focused on meeting your day-to-day needs,” Harris said. “It’s so much more difficult to do that if you’re out of work, and if you’re struggling to make bills and put food on the table.”
Harris said right now, much of the advocacy community is focused on the immediate challenges of the pandemic, like ensuring their neighbors and community members have the resources and information they need to stay safe.
Some issues have arisen out of the uncertain fog of the pandemic as critical elements to either prevent the spread of the disease, or limit the negative, often unseen consequences of a new social order, like local jail and prison populations and low-wage workers who are facing dire financial circumstances.
Travis County Sheriff Sally Hernandez said Thursday that the average daily intake at the jail fell from 107 people to around 60 people since February.
Likewise, the overall jail population fell 25% to 1,649 inmates as efforts to divert people from the facility have ramped up.
The advocacy work behind such initiatives, though, has moved almost entirely to the virtual world.
The incarcerated were among many vulnerable groups mentioned during a virtual roundtable last week, warning the community and calling on elected leaders to ensure those on the fringes, including unauthorized immigrants, people who are homeless and low-wage workers are taken care of.
The current crisis has exposed the weaknesses of having healthcare tied to work, which for many, evaporated as businesses closed throughout the city.
On Wednesday, the Austin Justice Coalition hosted a virtual town hall featuring local elected leaders discussing local law enforcement priorities that was viewed by more than 300 people. A second virtual discussion featuring local health authorities is scheduled for Wednesday.
Chas Moore, a founder of the coalition, said he wants to make sure people have the chance to cope with the new normal, and understand that these circumstances are new and difficult for everyone.
Right now, he said, any efforts to campaign for causes outside of the realm of real-life situations brought on by the coronavirus pandemic seem insensitive and are likely to fall on deaf ears.
Harris said that beyond immediate threats to life and safety, the consequences of COVID-19 have exposed other questions both advocacy groups and elected leaders will have to face when the crisis ends.
“Hopefully, some of the positive things that we’re able to accomplish now to help reduce the impact of the pandemic and help ensure that the most vulnerable in our communities aren’t bearing the brunt of the pandemic, we can maintain moving forward,” Harris said.
Moore said trends like lower jail populations, free meals for people who work in the shuddered service industry, communications companies offering internet service to students and a surge of respect and real value and appreciation for grocery store and food service workers are things that need to be closely looked at, and held onto.
“I think we have a unique opportunity to really examine what this new normal is, and how much of the new normal can stick,” Moore said. “In the time of pandemic, in a time of crisis, we’re seeing that these things are actually possible.”
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