Coronavirus and Class War is a series of discussions and stories of workers on the frontline who are speaking out and stepping up where the state and federal government are failing, in this unprecedented health crisis. Airs every Thursday beginning April 23, 2020 at 7:30 pm et. on WBAI 99.5 fm and at 8pm on soundcloud and other streaming platforms.
In this week's episode, Danny Katch speaks with Victor Pate, a formally incarcerated organizer with the campaign for alternatives to isolated confinement about the fight to end the horrific practice of solitary confinement inside New York prisons.
Mel Gonzalez and Julian Guerrero discuss some of the election results and bring you some local headlines while Lupita Romero and Khadija Mehter talk about the two communities who don't get participate in elections.
Read MoreOn this week’s show of Working Class Heroes Radio, we continue our story of Prakash Churaman, a young man locked up for six years without a fair trial or a guilty verdict, who’s fighting to prove his innocence from within the Rikers Island Jail Complex. In part two, Julian talks about how Prakash has built his support group, his issues with the judge on his trial, and how six years behind bars have affected Prakash.
Read MoreOn this week’s show of Working Class Heroes Radio, we report on the story of Prakash Churaman, a young man locked up for six years without a fair trial or a guilty verdict, who’s fighting to prove his innocence from within the Rikers Island Jail Complex. Locked up since he was 15 years old, Churaman has spent six years growing up behind bars. Julian talks about what he’s been through, the charges against him, and why he’s not had a fair trial in what will be a two-part story.
Read MoreOn this week's show, Lupita and Mel host, Khadija and Danny bring us a special edition of our weekly headlines, given Trump's diagnosis of Covid19, Lupita and Mel break down some of Puerto Rico's most recent events. Finally, Julian speaks with Paul Figueroa, a San Juan City Council candidate and member of the Puerto Rican Independence Party, about the upcoming vote on statehood in November. We'll be discussing colonialism, democracy, the no vote campaign, and what vision the Independence Party has for Puerto Rico's future.
Read MoreOn this week's show - school is back in session and the city’s failure to address health and safety concerns has already propelled the spread of Covid infections in school buildings. Bill de Blasio has insisted that schools will reopen without giving them funding for ventilation or enough teachers. This week Khadija and Mel host the show and break down school safety before and during the pandemic, Lupita and Julian give us some headlines and Danny speaks with therapist Marilena Marchetti and Paraprofessional Trina Davis about how they and other educators are fighting to keep students safe from their own mayor.
Read MoreOn this week's show, we focus on the anti-displacement work against the large scale developments of Industry City in Sunset Park and the waterfront in Flushing. Khadija and Lupita host and address NYC's richest residents, Yanny and Danny lay out some of the latest headlines, and Mel spoke with organizers Kimberly Morales and Seonae Byeon on their efforts to push back against these development plans, the upcoming city council votes to approve rezoning requests, and what’s at stake for communities in these neighborhoods.
Read MoreOn this week's show, Lupita and Mel report on struggles tenants are waging against abusive landlords and courts trying to restart the eviction mill in New York City. Julian speaks with tenant and activist Ginger Ging-Dwan Boyd who dealt first hand with a landlord who broke into her home and tried to illegally lock her out of her apartment. Ginger tells us how she's confronted her landlord and organized her fellow tenant neighbors into a tenants association.
Read MoreLupita and Mel host our regular radio show while Julian introduces an ongoing investigation on the reopening of New York City Courts. Julian and Yanny speak to legal workers about their resistance to reopening the court systems in the middle of a pandemic while laying out the important players behind the push to reopen.
Read MoreLupita and Mel host our regular radio show while Julian introduces an ongoing investigation on the reopening of New York City Courts. Julian and Yanny speak to legal workers about their resistance to reopening the court systems in the middle of a pandemic while laying out the important players behind the push to reopen.
Read MoreJulian and Carlos speak with Robert Cuffy, founder of the Socialist Workers Alliance of Guyana, a DC37 Union member and a member of the Afrosocialist and Socialist of Color Caucus of the DSA. Robert speaks with us about the role organized labor can play in the Black Lives Matter uprising across the U.S., the demand to expel Police Unions out of the labor movement, and how the Black freedom struggle can generate broader social movements in the US.
Read MoreCarlos and Mel speak with Josie, an organizer with Take Back the Bronx, an organization of Bronxites who are organizing for community control, to discuss the looting that unfolded in the Bronx and Queens, the tensions it created in the movement and try to answer who is really looting in the Bronx?
Read MoreLupita and Julian speak with Bianca Cunningham, participant of some of the initial protests in the nationwide uprising for Black Lives and a member of the AfroSocialist and Socialist of Color Caucus of the Democratic Socialist of America, about what New York City protests have looked like, why they feel different from the protests of 2014 and what she thinks of the way its all being handled by the police and the people in power.
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