>>> WE LOST MORE THAN A THOUSAND
AMERICANS TODAY.
YESTERDAY WE LOST OVER A
THOUSAND AS WELL.
DAYS AND DAYS LIKE THAT.
THINK ABOUT THAT FOR A MOMENT.
IT IS HORRIFYING TO A DEGREE
WHERE THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION
NORMALIZED THIS LOSS IN THE WAY
IT TRIPLES DOWN TO OUR SOCIETY.
THE ANTIDOTE THAT I FIND TO THE
NUMBNESS OF THIS TRAGEDY IS
TWITTER CALLS IT FACES OF COVID.
IT TELLS THE STORIES OF THEIR
LIVES AND THEIR LOVED ONES
GRIEVING.
ONE SMALL WAY TO PUNCTURE THE
SHEER TOLL OF THIS.
THE LAST FEW AS I READ ON FACES OF COVID, SARAH MONTOYA, PASSED
OF COVID, SARAH MONTOYA, PASSED AWAY BEFORE 60 YEARS OLD.
AWAY BEFORE 60 YEARS OLD.
AND ELI SEVENER, GRADUATED LAST
YEAR.
FACES OF COVID CONSTANTLY
CONNECTS US. JOINING ME NOW IS A PERSON WHO
JOINING ME NOW IS A PERSON WHO
STARTS FACES OF COVID.
ALEX PATRICK, THANK YOU SO MUCH
FOR JOINING US.
WHAT YOU ARE DOING IS REALLY
DIFFERENT AND IT IS A WAY TO
STAY CONNECTED OF THE REALITY OF
WHAT’S HAPPENING.
I AM CURIOUS HOW IT CAME ABOUT.
>> THANKS SO MUCH FOR HAVING ME
AND IT MEANS SO MUCH OF THE WORK
THAT WE ARE DOING.
A LOT OF THE PEOPLE AT THE START
OF THE PANDEMIC STRUGGLING WITH
THE FEELING OF THIS STATISTIC IS
OVERWHELMING.
I CREATED THIS EFFORT A WAY TO
AFFIRM IT IS MORE THAN STATISTIC
AND THEIR LIVES MATTERED AND
THEY HAD DIGNITY AND IT MEANT
SOMETHING.
I NOTE THAT EVERY SINGLE STORY
THAT WE POST, I THINK ABOUT THIS
WAS THE CENTER OF SOMEBODY’S
WORLD.
MAYBE THE CENTER OF MULTIPLE
PEOPLE’S WORLD.
THE EXTENT OF THAT LOSS IS HARD
TO INTERNALIZE.
EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THESE
STORIES BEG AN IMPORTANT
QUESTION.
DID THIS PERSON HAVE TO DIE?
WAS THIS DEATH PREVENTABLE IN
ANY WAY, COULD WE HAVE DONE
ANYTHING DIFFERENT TO AVOID IT?
WE KNOW WE COULD MAKE A LOT OF
DIFFERENT CHOICES AT THE FEDERAL
LEVEL.
THE LAST PIECE MOTIVATED WANTED
TO LIFT UP LOCAL JOURNALISTS WHO
ARE STORY TELLERS.
I SAW THIS AS A MEAN OF LIFTING
UP STORY TELLERS.
>> I AM CURIOUS HOW YOU
AGGREGATE THIS.
IS THERE ANYONE IN THE
GOVERNMENT DOING ESSENTIAL DOCE
DEPOSITORY OF THIS?
>> NOT THAT WE HAVE BEEN ABLE TO
FIND.
I AM GRATEFUL I HAVE A FRIEND,
SCOTT ZOBAK, WHO’S BEEN HELPING
ME SO I AM NOT THE ONLY PERSON. THE LAST HOUR BEFORE BED AND IF
THE LAST HOUR BEFORE BED AND IF
FIRST HOUR I WAKE UP IS DEVOTING
TO SKOUCOURING LOCAL NEWS SOURCE
AND AS WELL AS OBITUARIES AND
LOVED ONES BEING LOST TO COVID.
PART OF WHAT’S DRIVING ME, I
KNOW PEOPLE WATCHING YOUR SHOW
MUST HAVE LOST SOMEBODY IN A
DEEPLY ISOLATED TIME WE ARE
MOURNING IS ESSENTIALLY DEFERRED
BECAUSE OF OUR ISOLATION.
IT SEEMS LIKE JUST A SMALL TINY
WAY TO SAY THAT YOU ARE ACTUALLY
NOT ALONE AND THERE ARE MILLIONS
OF PEOPLE IN THIS COUNTRY WHO
WANTS TO MOURN WITH YOU AND
ALONGSIDE YOU. >> YEAH, WE HAVE BEEN DOING
>> YEAH, WE HAVE BEEN DOING
THESE SMALL MEMOIRRIAL SEGMENTS
THE SHOW.
ONE THING THAT PEOPLE HAVE
REACHED OUT TO US TO SAY IS THAT
YEAH IN THE ABSENCE OF NOT BEING
ABLE TO ENGAGE IN MOURNING
RITUALS AND PARTICULARLY IN
APRIL AND MAY AND THE HEART OF
THE SHELTER IN PLACE ORDER, IT
IS DIFFICULT AND IT IS HARD TO
NOT BE ABLE TO COMMUNICATE WITH
THE PEOPLE YOU LOVE AND YOU GET
TOGETHER TO SHARE GRIEVES AND
LAUGHS AND REMINISCES.
THAT PART OF THIS PANDEMIC IS A
SORT OF UNDER APPRECIATED
TRAUMA.
>> ABSOLUTELY.
YOU CONSIDER A LOT OF THESE
FOLKS SAID GOOD-BYE TO THEIR
LOVERED
LOVED ONES BY FACETIME.
ONE THING THAT REALLY HIT ME AS
WE SHARE A LOT OF THESE STORIES,
THE NAMES OF THE PEOPLE WE SHARE
ARE NOT FAMOUS HOUSEHOLD NAMES.
IN THE COMMUNITY WHERE THEY
LIVED, THEY MAY WELL BE THE MOST
IMPACTFUL PERSON.
THE TEACHER YOU SHOWED EARLIER,
I HEARD FIVE DIFFERENT PEOPLE
THEIR CHILD HAD THAT TEACHER AT
SOME POINT.
THESE FOLKS HAVE AN UNBELIEVABLE
IMPACT OF THE LIVES IN THE
COMMUNITY THEY LIVE.
IT SEEMS LIKE DEFERRING ALL OF
THESE BRIEFS TO SIX OR EIGHT
MONTHS DOWN THE ROAD IS GOING TO
HAVE SOME SERIOUS CONSEQUENCES
THAT WE DON’T EVEN START TO
GRAPPLE IT.
>> IT STRIKES ME, ONE OF THE
REASONS I WANT TO HAVE YOU ON
TONIGHT, I WAS THINKING THAT
SOMEONE HAD SHOWN THE TOWER OF
LIGHT MEMORIAL IN NEW YORK CITY
OF THE PEOPLE THAT WE HAVE LOST
SINCE 9/11 WAS DOING A WARM UP
TEST AND REMINDING ME IT IS THAT
TIME OF THE YEAR AGAIN.
I THINK MIKE PENCE IS GOING TO
VISIT NEW YORK.
WE HAVE THIS NATIONAL MOURNING
FOR THE 3,000 AMERICANS THAT WE
LOST ON THAT DAY AND STILL 20
YEARS LATER APPROPRIATELY OR
PROPERLY SO.
MAYBE IT IS BECAUSE IT IS STILL
HAPPENING AROUND US SO WE DON’T
HAVE THAT.
BASICALLY FACES OF COVID IS THE
CLOSEST THERE IS RIGHT NOIW TO
ANYTHING BEING DONE AND