These people won’t protect their own lives. Few masks. No social distancing.
I have family, friends and work colleagues in North Carolina. I worry about their health. I don’t know how to protect them from deadly public health failures and mistakes made by Trump and others in their state. What can I do to help them?
After I saw the photos from this event I wrote letters to the local reporters in North Carolina who covered the non-mask wearing, non-social distancing observing fans at the opening of Ace Speedway in North Carolina on May 23rd.
Here is a version of the letter I sent to reporters in North Carolina: Jeff Mills, Winston Salem Journal and Andrew Carter, The Raleigh Observer. They covered the non-mask wearing, non-social distancing observing fans at the opening of Ace Speedway in North Carolina on May 23rd. I thought they could understand and reach them in ways I could not.
To: Jeff Mills, Winston Salem Journal
Fr: Spocko
Re: Will you follow up on your Ace Speedway story?
Hi Jeff:
I’m following up on your Winston Salem Journal story at Ace Speedway on May 23rd. ( or News Observer story) I saw the photos. Few masks. 100’s of people close together. Will you be doing a follow up?
You might have seen photos and news reports about the Lake of the Ozarks pool parties. It led St. Louis County Executive Sam Page to issue a statement on Tuesday telling residents of his county that, if they were at the Lake party this past weekend, they should self-quarantine.”
I sent out a tweet with these attached photos from Robert Willett of News Observer and Walt Unks at Winston Salem Journal
I could do a story about the politics behind the pressure to get the venue permission to open, the lack of enforcement of the Phase 2 guidelines, the failure to prepare to trace anyone if someone infected is found to have attended. I would write it in about 21 days. But I’m an outsider and nobody cares what some liberal in SF thinks.
You spoke to several people for the story. If there is a spike in cases, it would be great if you spoke to the family of the sick or dead whose illness was traced to that outbreak (which will be difficult, but IS possible) and the doctors, nurses and EMTs that had to deal with the sick.
(BTW, the photographer Walt Unks did the story about firefighters honoring healthcare workers at Clemmons Medical Center, Kernersville Medical Center and Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center on April 20th. I’d lover to hear from them about the non-mask wearing attendees at the Ace Speedway.
I’d like to hear what the people who made the event happen have to say. People like Robert Turner, the co-owner of the track, his son and Sheriff Terry Johnson.
Then I’d like to hear from people you quoted who attended without wearing a mask or social distancing. People like Dave Magbee, 59, who made the short drive from Burlington. Kelly Britt, a retired postal worker from Charlotte and Bobby Nifong of Winston-Salem.
I’m especially interested in hearing from the people in the photos with children:
I’d like to hear from these men and the mothers of these children. Its become clear to me that some men view people like me who wear masks and take precautions as liberal scolds who are eager to say “I told you so!” when people get sick and die.
What you can do, that I can’t, is to get back to these men and women with evidence of the consequences of people actively refusing to wear masks and practice social distancing.
BTW, I see that North Carolina has a tracking program called NC DETECT (The North Carolina Disease Event Tracking and Epidemiologic Collection Tool -PDF file) It’s a statewide, electronic, real-time public health surveillance system. You might want to talk to NCDHHS about how it was used to track illnesses after the Ace Speedway event.
I’m guessing you spoke to more people who didn’t wear masks at the event, but their quotes didn’t make the story. I’d like to hear from them after they hear about an outbreak. Would they still attend? Would they wear a mask? If not, why not? I ask this because of the tendency of certain men to “double down” on their mistakes when shown the proof.
I know men who would rather accept the death of 10’s thousands of others, even members of their own family, than admit they were wrong.
Apparently for some people a disease is only real when it happens to people just like them or their family. Maybe if people in their community said “I went to Ace Speedway, I didn’t wear a mask and someone in MY family got sick and died. PLEASE wear a mask!” they would be listened to
I would also like to hear from the race car drivers. If they were to say. ‘I love to see fans in the stands, but it’s too dangerous. We’ll try this again after a vaccine. For now we’ll race on TV with empty stands.” That would be a good way to show they support the guidelines that save the lives of their fans, rather than just the wallets of the owners.
Finally, one of the reasons that I’m writing you is that you know the people in your community. I don’t. You clearly tried to be respectful of the people in your story. You might know how to reach them in a way a Vulcan blogger in SF, in a bright blue liberal state can’t.
Here’s the deal, I have family, friends and work colleagues in NC and I worry about their health. I don’t know how to protect them from deadly public health mistakes made by others in their state.
You might know how to reach your readers where they live and keep them alive. Please try.
Thank you.
Live Long And Prosper
Spocko
@spockosbrain
P.S. Here is my most recent post on the need for masks. Want To Reopen Retail? Everyone Must Wear Masks
I’ve been reading the research on mask wearing and it’s compelling. When I wear a mask it’s not “virtue signaling” I’m not doing it to piss off Donald Trump. I don’t do it to be politically correct. I do it to save my life and the lives of others. If you aren’t already please, please, PLEASE wear a mask when you are covering these events.