>>> PUBLIC HEALTH OFFICIALS IN
THIS COUNTRY THROUGHOUT THE
PANDEMIC HAVE BECOME A KIND OF
PUBLIC ENEMY NUMBER ONE, AS
OPPORTUNISTIC POLITICIANS AND
MEDIA HAVE WHIPPED UP A FAMILIAR
BACKLASH POLITICS AIMED AT MASK
MANDATES AND PUBLIC HEALTH
ORDERS AND DIRECTED ALL THIS
RAGE ON BASICALLY CIVIL
SERVANTS.
IT JUST HAPPENED AGAIN THIS
WEEK.
ST. LOUIS COUNTY, MISSOURI,
AFTER WEEKS OF RISING COVID
CASES, PUBLIC HEALTH OFFICIALS
THERE REINSTATED A MASK MANDATE.
BARELY A DAY LATER THE COUNTY
COUNCIL MET TO DISCUSS
OVERTURNING THAT MANDATE AND TO
HEAR FROM THE CROWD WHO PACKED
INTO THE ROOM.
>> WEVE LOST SIGHT OF THE FACT
THAT PEOPLE SHED BLOOD.
THEIR LIVES, THEIR CHILDREN,
THEIR MOTHERS, THEIR DAUGHTERS,
FOR US TO HAVE THE FREEDOM FROM
TYRANNY.
>> MASKS DONT SEEM TO WORK IN
THAT.
>> PUT OUR PUBLIC SERVANTS ON
NOTICE THAT WE WILL NOT NOW NOR
EVER AGAIN ALLOW OUR INALIENABLE
RIGHTS AND CONSTITUTIONALLY
PROTECTED LIBERTY BE TAKEN FROM
US.
WE WILL GIVE NO MORE GROUND.
WE WILL NOT COMPLY.
>> SO THAT WAS THE CROWD IN THE
ROOM.
WHEN ONE OF THE PEOPLE BEHIND
THE NEW MASK MANDATE, DR. KHAN
STOOD UP TO ADDRESS THE COUNCIL.
>> COMMUNITY TRANSMISSION OF
COVID-19 ATTRIBUTABLE TO THE
DELTA VARIANT IS NOW AT AN
ALL-TIME HIGH ACROSS THE ST.
LOUIS REGION.
MADAM CHAIR, IT IS MY DUTY TO
INFORM YOU ON THE RECORD THAT IF
THE COUNCIL DECIDES IN ITS
INFINITE WISDOM TO NEGATE THIS
PUBLIC HEALTH ORDER, THERE WILL
BE MORE MISERY, THERE WILL BE
MORE INFECTION, THERE WILL BE
MORE DEATH.
>> ARE WE TALKING ABOUT
SHUTDOWNS AGAIN?
ARE WE TALKING ABOUT SPORTS
GOING AWAY?
WHATS YOUR NEXT MOVE IF THEY
CONTINUE TO GO UP?
>> IT IS MY DUTY TO TELL YOU,
SIR, THAT IF THE SITUATION
CONTINUES TO WORSEN, ALL OPTIONS
WILL BE ON THE TABLE.
>> ALL RIGHT.
PLEASE.
>> YOU CAN HEAR THE CROWD
AUDIBLY REACTING TO DR. KHAN
THROUGHOUT THE HEARING.
HE SAYS MUCH OF THAT HECKLING
WAS RACIST, XENOPHOBIC AND
THREATENING.
HE WROTE I HEARD PEOPLE DOING
THEIR IMPERSONATION OF A
CHARACTER FROM THE SIMPSONS
TELEVISION SHOW THAT MOCKS
PEOPLE FROM SOUTH ASIA, LIKE
MYSELF.
I CAME SURROUNDED IN THE CROWD
WHERE MEMBERS OF THE CROWD
YELLED AT ME, CALLING ME A FAT
BROWN "C" WORD AND A BROWN
BASTARD.
HEIN STINT IVELY REACTED BY
RAISING HIS MIDDLE FINGER TO ONE
OF THE HECKLERS.
JUST A FEW HOURS LATER THE
COUNTY COUNCIL VOTED 5-2 TO
RESINGDRE
RESCIND THE MASK MANDATE TO THE
CHEERS OF THE CROWD.
DR. FASIL KHAN JOINS ME NOW.
DR. KHAN, THANK YOU FOR JOINING
ME.
I WONDER IF YOU CAN JUST TELL ME
WHAT IS YOUR JOB AS THE COUNTY
DIRECTOR OF PUBLIC HEALTH THERE
IN ST. LOUIS COUNTY?
WHAT DO YOU DO AND HOW LONG HAVE
YOU DONE IT?
>> IVE BEEN THE DIRECTOR FOR A
TOTAL OF FIVE MONTHS.
I HAVE SERVED IN THIS POSITION
ONCE PREVIOUSLY FOR A PERIOD OF
FOUR AND A HALF YEARS BUT I HAVE
SPENT THE LAST TEN YEARS WITH
THE ST. LOUIS COUNTY DEPARTMENT
OF PUBLIC HEALTH.
THE LAST 25 YEARS IN PUBLIC
HEALTH ACROSS THE WORLD.
>> WHAT IS THE COVID SITUATION
RIGHT NOW LIKE IN YOUR COUNTY?
>> IT IS GOING FROM BAD TO
WORSE.
AS YOU MENTIONED, CASES ARE ON
THE RISE.
PEDIATRIC ADMISSIONS
ATTRIBUTABLE TO COVID ARE SEEING
A SHARP INCREASE IN AREA
HOSPITALS.
I KNOW FROM TALKING TO OUR
COLLEAGUES ACROSS THE HOSPITAL
SYSTEMS IN THE ST. LOUIS REGION
THAT THEY ARE EXTREMELY WORRIED
AS THEY SEE ICU BEDS FILLING UP
AND A DIRECT THREAT TO THE LIKE
OF THE VERY PATIENTS THEY SEEK
TO SERVE CONTINUE TO INCREASE
UNABATED.
>> THAT WAS WHAT DROVE YOU AND I
THINK THE OTHERS IN THE
DEPARTMENT TO RECOMMEND THIS
MASK ORDER.
WHAT WAS THAT ROOM LIKE TO BE IN
AS YOU WERE THERE SPEAKING TO
THE COUNTY COUNCIL?
>> SO WHEN I WALKED INTO THE
ROOM, THE FIRST THING I NOTICED
WAS THAT IT WAS A CAPACITY
CROWD.
IN FACT IT WAS OVERFLOWING.
AND ALMOST NOBODY WAS WEARING A
MASK, WHICH ALARMED ME AS A
PUBLIC HEALTH PROFESSIONAL
BECAUSE WHAT I COULD SEE BEFORE
ME WAS A POTENTIAL SUPERSPREADER
EVENT.
IT FURTHER HORRIFIED ME TO NOTE
THAT SOME PEOPLE HAD CHILDREN
WITH THEM AND THERE WERE QUITE A
FEW PEOPLE IN THE AUDIENCE THAT
WERE OLDER, IN THE 60, POSSIBLY
OLDER RANGE.
SO IT WAS NOT A GOOD SIGHT.
AND THERE WAS PALPABLE ANGER
BUILDING UP IN THE AUDIENCE WELL
BEFORE THE MEETING.
AS I LEARNED AFTERWARDS, THERE
HAD BEEN SOME SORT OF POLITICAL
RALLY BEFORE THE MEETING, SO
PEOPLES WORST FEARS I THINK HAD
BEEN PREYED UPON AND EXPLOITED
TO GET THEM FIRED UP IN
ANTICIPATION OF THE
CONVERSATION.
>> YOU WRITE IN THE LETTER THAT
THERE ARE TWO POLITICIANS WHO
ARE SITTING BEHIND YOU, SORT OF
BERATING YOU, TRYING TO DISTRACT
YOU.
ONE OF THEM WAS MARK McCLAUS KEY
WHO WAS THE GUY THAT BRANDISHED
THE GUN AT THE BLACK LIVES
MATTER PROTESTERS, PLEADED
GUILTY TO A MISDEMEANOR.
WHAT WERE THEY SAYING TO YOU?
>> YOU KNOW, I COULDNT MAKE OUT
EVERYTHING BUT IT WAS A SERIES
OF INTERRUPTIONS AND SENTENCES
DESIGNED TO THROW ME OFF COURSE.
EVERY TIME I WOULD BEGIN TO
FORMULATE A ACCEPTSENTENCE OR TH
THROUGH A RESPONSE TO A
QUESTION, SOMETHING WAS YELLED
AT ME FROM THE RIGHT OR THE
LEFT.
I OBVIOUSLY COULDNT SEE WHO WAS
SAYING IT BEHIND ME PRECISELY,
BUT THATS WHERE THEY WERE
SEATED.
AT ONE POINT IN TIME AS YOU
SHOWED IN THE VIDEO, I ACTUALLY
TURNED AROUND AND ASKED SOMEBODY
TO PLEASE BE QUIET AND LET ME
FINISH.
>> THERE WAS ALSO A REALLY
UNNERVING AND DISGUSTING AMOUNT
OF RACIAL ANIMUS THAT WAS HURLED
TOWARDS YOU.
HAVE YOU EXPERIENCED THAT BEFORE
IN THIS POSITION EVER?
AND WHAT WAS THAT LIKE?
>> NOT IN THE 25 YEARS THAT IVE
SPENT IN PUBLIC HEALTH OR THE 10
YEARS THAT I WORKED IN THE
MISSOURI -- THE ST. LOUIS
DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH.
THIS WAS TRULY UNPRECEDENTED AND
IT WASNT THE ENTIRE CROWD.
I THINK MOST OF THE PEOPLE THERE
ARE GOOD AND DECENT PEOPLE.
THEY WOULD NEVER EVEN THINK
ABOUT OFFERING A VILE WORD TO
ANYONE, NO MATTER HOW MUCH WE
MIGHT DISAGREE WITH WEARING
MASKS, ET CETERA.
BUT ONCE THE COLLECTIVE TEMPER
AND EMOTIONS OF THE ENTIRE
AUDIENCE HAD BEEN DIALED UP ALL
THE WAY TO 100 BY PROVOCATIONS
AND WHAT I WOULD CALL DOG
WHISTLE WORDS, ITS VERY
DIFFICULT TO RETURNING IT TO
NORMAL AS SOON AS THE
CONVERSATION MOVES ON TO
SOMETHING ELSE.
IT WAS RIPE FOR SPILLING OVER
AND CROSSING BOUNDARIES, AND
THAT IS EXACTLY WHAT HAPPENED.
SOME PEOPLE IN THE AUDIENCE TOOK
OUT THEIR ANGER ON ME AS I WAS
LEAVING, AND IT WAS A VERY
JARRING AND UNPLEASANT
EXPERIENCE.
>> HAVE YOU EVER BEEN IN A ROOM
LIKE THAT BEFORE?
>> IVE BEEN IN PLENTY OF HEATED
CONVERSATIONS AND TENSE MEETINGS
WITH THE PUBLIC.
THATS PART OF THE NATURE OF THE
WORK THAT WE DO AS PUBLIC
OFFICIALS.
OUR JOB IS TO EXPLAIN FACTS AND
JUST STICK TO THE TRUTH AND THE
EVIDENCE, WHETHER SOMEBODY
AGREES WITH US OR NOT.
BUT I HAVE NEVER STHEEN SORT OF
DYNAMIC AT WORK.
IT HAS ALWAYS BEEN A CASE OF
MEETINGS BEING ORDERLY AND
CONTROLLED FROM THE DAIS, FROM
THE PEOPLE CHAIRING THOSE