S7 E16: Coronavirus VIII: Prisons & Jails & K-Pop Stans: Last Week Tonight with John Oliver

Trump's Rally, BLM Protests, and Juneteenth Celebrations

• President Trump's Oklahoma rally had a low turnout, with the venue being half empty despite his campaign claiming a million people had requested tickets, and even an outdoor stage was built for a second speech that ultimately wasn't needed (42s).
• Large peaceful Black Lives Matter protests continued around the country, while John Bolton attempted to sell information he should have freely shared with Congress (1m6s).
• June 19th (Juneteenth) was celebrated and learned about by a large segment of White America, but some commemorations were not entirely appropriate, such as Snapchat releasing a filter that allowed users to break chains by smiling, which was quickly pulled (1m18s).
• Melania Trump gave a Juneteenth address between two 20-foot golden candelabras, emphasizing the importance of celebrating and learning from differences (1m57s).

COVID-19 Spikes in Prisons and the Vulnerability of Inmates

• The COVID-19 pandemic has seen alarming spikes across the country, particularly in prisons, with over 68,000 inmates infected, a number that has doubled in the last month, and prison deaths tied to the virus rising by 73% since mid-May (2m39s).
• The five largest known clusters of the virus are in correctional institutions, which is especially concerning given the high health risks of the 2.2 million people being held in prisons and jails across the country (2m53s).
• Inmates are more likely to be immunocompromised with chronic health issues like diabetes and hypertension, making them an immensely vulnerable population (3m44s).
• An advocate for incarcerated individuals reports that they are in contact with over 300 people who are incarcerated, who describe their situation as being extremely vulnerable to contracting the virus (3m53s).
• Inmates in correctional facilities feel it's only a matter of time before they contract the coronavirus, which is a concern because punishment should not include contracting diseases (4m22s).

The Challenges of Social Distancing and Hygiene in Correctional Facilities

• Jails are where people are detained while awaiting trial or held for minor sentences, while prisons typically hold people who've been convicted and are serving sentences of more than a year (4m52s).
• Correctional facilities are not built to cope with a crisis like the coronavirus, making it impossible to keep six feet apart in a tiny cell (5m6s).
• Confinement and social distancing are mostly incompatible, making it hard to practice social distancing in a small cell with two beds and a toilet (5m31s).
• Authorities have taken small steps to deal with the problem, such as locking down inmates for 23 and a half hours a day and allowing them to come out for 10 minutes to use the phone and take a shower (6m0s).
• Inmates are sometimes instructed to sleep head to foot in small cells, which may not be comforting for their families (6m15s).
• Soap is not always available in correctional facilities, and inmates may have to buy it from the commissary, which can be a challenge given their low wages (6m41s).
• Despite the importance of handwashing, some facilities have posted signs about it but continue to charge inmates for access to soap (7m0s).
• Multiple prisoners have spoken out about the shortage of soap and hand sanitizer in correctional facilities (7m11s).
• There should always be enough soap available in correctional facilities, and it's not acceptable for inmates to have to rely on inadequate soap supplies (7m37s).

The Dire Situation in Prisons: Lack of Resources and Rising Tensions

• In a correctional facility, about 80% of its residents had contracted the virus as of April, and there was a severe shortage of cleaning products and PPE, leading to prisoners wearing socks on their hands when using the phone (7m58s).
• The lack of testing in prisons made it difficult for inmates to know who had the virus, and those showing symptoms were often placed in solitary confinement due to the lack of quarantine space (8m17s).
• The combination of close quarters, lack of basic protections, and uncertainty about the spread of the virus led to tensions reaching a breaking point (8m47s).
• An inmate took cell phone video inside the Lancing Correctional Facility, showing property destruction and inmates complaining about the lack of healthcare due to COVID-19 (8m56s).
• The inmates' response was seen as extreme, but it highlighted the lack of bargaining chips prisoners have to bring attention to their situation (9m23s).

Downplaying Prison Outbreaks and the Reality of Virus Spread

• Local government officials in California proposed not counting prisoners with COVID-19 when meeting state standards for reopening, considering them a separate population (9m53s).
• The director of the Arkansas Department of Health downplayed the prison outbreaks, calling them "closed systems" that don't represent the situation in the state (10m28s).
• However, prisons and jails are not closed systems, and outbreaks of a deadly virus should not be considered fortunate just because they are confined to one place (11m1s).
• In the United States, there are around 445,000 non-inmate staff personnel working in prisons across the country, and over 9,000 of them have reported coronavirus cases, making it easy for the virus to spread in and out of facilities (11m49s).
• Staff can bring the virus into and out of prisons, and it can also spread as inmates are transferred between facilities, and when sick prisoners are treated at local hospitals, particularly in rural areas (12m8s).
• Jails have a constant churn of people moving in and out, with over 200,000 people booked into jails and another 200,000 released every week, making it easy for outbreaks to spread to the larger community (12m26s).
• A study suggested that as of mid-April, more than 15% of all documented coronavirus cases in Illinois could be linked to the Cook County Jail, which the jail strongly disputes (12m43s).
• Activists, including Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart, warned about the danger of coronavirus in prisons and jails early on, with one person comparing the Cook County Jail to a "death cruise ship" (13m1s).

The Need for Prison Release and the Debate Surrounding It

• To mitigate the spread of coronavirus, it is necessary to release as many people from prisons and jails as possible, which would make it easier for those remaining to socially distance and reduce the demand for PPE (13m40s).
• Releasing inmates is often met with public resistance, with concerns about releasing "burglars, thieves, and identity forgers" back into the community, but many inmates pose little risk to public safety and are only in jail because they couldn't afford to post bail (14m2s).
• There are many types of crimes, and not all inmates are violent or pose a significant risk to public safety, with some examples including a man who posed as a Beto O'Rourke volunteer and stole a Popsicle, and a woman who drank wine out of a Pringles can while driving an electric cart around a Walmart parking lot (14m34s).
• Some people, such as those awaiting trial in jail who pose little risk to public safety and are only there because they couldn't afford to post bail, have no excuse for not being released immediately (15m2s).
• The risks of releasing prisoners during the pandemic are outweighed by the risks of leaving them inside, where they are more likely to contract the virus (15m34s).
• The bare minimum that should be done is to release offenders who have served the majority of their sentences, particularly the immunocompromised and the elderly, who are at high risk for the virus (15m43s).
• Another option is to place certain prisoners on furlough, pausing their sentence and having them return to finish it once the pandemic is under control, or to place them under house arrest (15m59s).
• Attorney General William Barr released a DOJ memo instructing federal prisons to reduce their populations, but to date, they have only done so by around 3%, which is not enough (16m12s).
• The case of Martin Shkreli, a convicted pharmaceutical executive, was mentioned, who was denied release to research a coronavirus treatment, with the presiding judge noting that his claim was viewed as "delusional behavior" (16m41s).
• Despite the questionable character of some prisoners, such as Martin Shkreli, it is still important to consider their release to prevent them from contracting the virus and potentially dying (17m22s).

Desperate Situations and Inmate Activism

• Millions of Americans, disproportionately people of color, are currently stuck in desperate situations in prisons, and some prisoners have become so desperate that they will risk punishment to try and get attention to their situation (17m43s).
• An example of this desperation is Aaron Campbell, an inmate at FCI Elkton, who used a contraband cell phone to raise an alarm about the situation in his prison, despite knowing it would lead to consequences (17m59s).
• The authorities at FCI Elkton claimed that the men in Campbell's video were fine, but according to the government's own count, over 600 inmates have tested positive for the coronavirus and nine have died at the institution (18m42s).
• Campbell has reportedly been in solitary confinement since his video went viral in early April (18m58s).
• The US prison system is being criticized for its handling of the COVID-19 pandemic, with many arguing that prisons and jails should be depopulated as quickly as possible to prevent the spread of the virus (19m25s).
• The current system is seen as immoral, with those incarcerated facing a lifetime of social stigma, futile job interviews, and roadblocks to necessities like housing, in addition to the risk of contracting the virus (20m1s).
• Incarcerated individuals are still members of society, and the pandemic has highlighted the interconnectedness of all people, making it essential to address the issues within the prison system (20m25s).

A Father's Day Tribute to Donald Trump and a Discussion on Social Media

• A Father's Day tribute is made to Donald Trump, with a compilation of clips showcasing his relationship with his children, particularly his comments about his daughter Tiffany and her mother, Marla Maples (20m43s).
• The tribute also includes clips of Trump discussing his parenting style and his expectations for his children, as well as his comments on his own role as a father (21m1s).
• The segment ends with a discussion about social media and its role in shaping public discourse, with a humorous example of a trending topic about Heathcliff the cat's death (22m20s).

K-Pop Fans and Others Drown Out Racist Hashtags with Fan Cams and Positive Content

• Fan cams are short montages of a performer set to music, and they have been used by fans of Korean pop music (K-pop) to promote racial equality and drown out racist hashtags on social media (22m37s).
• K-pop fans have been bombarding the hashtag "White Lives Matter" with fan cams, music, memes, and messages, effectively drowning out racist content and promoting a positive message (23m36s).
• This tactic has been successful in overwhelming racist hashtags and has even been used to disrupt a Trump rally and a police app in Dallas, causing technical difficulties due to the large number of submissions (25m0s).
• The K-pop fandom is not the only group involved in this effort, as fans of other interests, such as Mario and Sonic the Hedgehog, and even the furry community, have joined in to post content that undermines racist hashtags (25m35s).
• The combined efforts of these groups have made it difficult for racist hashtags to gain traction, and their actions have been praised for promoting a positive and inclusive message (26m6s).
• The success of this tactic has inspired others to join in and create content that combines their interests with the goal of drowning out racist hashtags, with the potential to make a real-world impact (26m16s).

A Video for Various Uses and the Show's Closing

• A video is available on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram feeds, and can be downloaded from the website rat erotica fan cam.com, which was surprisingly available for use in various ways, such as flooding a racist hashtag or as a pick-me-up (27m5s).
• The video is intended to be used by viewers as needed, whether for a specific purpose or just as a distraction (27m17s).
• The show is coming to a close, with thanks to the viewers for watching and a farewell until the next episode (27m25s).