The pandemic offers Americans a chance to look hard at the ways in which government has failed society—but also a chance to do something about it.

As Judt said and then wrote, 11 years ago, “Why do we experience such difficulty even imagining a different sort of society? Why is it beyond us to conceive of a different set of arrangements to our common advantage? Are we doomed indefinitely to lurch between a dysfunctional ‘free market’ and the much-advertised horrors of ‘socialism’? Our disability is discursive: we simply do not know how to talk about these things anymore.”  Read it here.

New Jersey Star Ledger  Editorial Board: 
The virus has turned NJ prisons into death houses. The governor must act now

New Jersey Together: The governor and his 'team' delayed a full month after we pressed them to test in the prisons.  Every day cost lives.  We agitated like crazy, and they finally began testing about ten days ago -- too late for many.

In response to my latest piece in the New York Daily News, a few top leaders have asked me to talk about ‘creativity.’  I think we’ve tried to discuss this in the distant past once or twice.  The phrase I think more accurately describes what I try to do is ‘play of mind.’  So, what does THAT entail?  

For the recent Daily News piece, an early aspect of the play of mind was my re-reading of Caro’s great book, Power Broker, particularly the remarkable chapter, One Mile.  Last year, Matthew Marienthal and I attended a talk by Caro, not long after his short book, Working, was published.  So Caro and that single mile and the East Tremont neighborhood in the Bronx were on my mind.

So were the themes of change and what I call our ‘hidden history’ – the many stories of impact by a wide range of groups and institutions, including our own, that never make it as ‘super stories.’  One of those stories was the SBC/Metro IAF effort to imagine, design, and align the forces necessary to create the Mott Haven Campus.

Finally, the current crisis was the intense context for the thoughts, readings, experiences, and intuitions swirling around.   So that’s the first phase of my work.

Local Opinion: Remembering, and missing, Richard Elias

"But what about another story of change — change generated by organized citizens who have their own vision of what would improve or enhance their community and their lives? Why do we so often forget to tell this story?"   Story by Michael Gecan in the NY Daily News.

to internet access as schools struggle to reach all of their students with remote learning.

“We want to work with you to ensure equity of access for all of our students,” said a letter that the advocacy group Coloradans for the Common Good sent to Comcast executives Monday. “We hope to meet with you as soon as possible to discuss potential solutions.”

"The letter was signed by faith leaders and the president of the Colorado Education Association, as well as the presidents of several local teachers unions, including Denver and Jefferson County."  Chalkbeat story here.

"3M and other manufacturers cannot stand idly by while their critically needed lifesaving medical equipment and supplies are being resold to consumers at excessive prices. This is not only unethical, but likely illegal under at least Illinois state statutes."  Story here.

White House claim of early ignorance of Covid-19 threat smashed to bits 
In late January, President Trump's economic adviser Peter Navarro warned his White House colleagues the novel coronavirus could take more than half a million American lives and cost close to $6 trillion, according to memos obtained by Axios.

Another Win for Colorado workers! An additional 30,000 Coloradans working in the food and beverage manufacturing industry now qualify for emergency paid leave - including thousands of UFCW Local 7R members! Read more HERE