Graduate
student
Jeffrey
Grim’s last moments with his
grandparents
consisted
of
Zoom calls and waiting outside
their room in the hospital.
Despite following public health
guidelines,
both
of
Grim’s
grandparents, Jacob and Doris
Bender, contracted COVID-19
this summer.
“The hardest part was not
being able to do anything,” Grim
said.
Doris and Jacob, who worked
in the Army, married in 1958
after meeting in Hawaii . They
moved to Jacob’s hometown,
Sharpsburg, Md., where Doris
worked in a hair salon and
Jacob
worked
for
Jamison
Door
Company.
Doris
also
became a small-time celebrity
for crocheting more than 2,000
hats for newborns. The residents
from Sharpsburg remembered
the couple as always willing to
lend a hand.
This summer, both of Grim’s
grandparents died two days
apart from each other, separated
by two rooms.
Grim
is
one
of
many
Americans
experiencing
loss
from the coronavirus pandemic.
More
than
230,000
people
have died from COVID-19, with
researchers projecting another
180,000 deaths by Jan. 1.
While
both
of
Grim’s
grandparents were in their 80s,
they had differing preexisting
conditions:
asthma
and
prior heart damage for his
grandmother
and
recovery
from prostate cancer for his
grandfather. Grim said both
of his grandparents had to be
hospitalized as their conditions
worsened.
Patients
who
contract
COVID-19
have
extremely
limited physical contact with
close family, where the only
form of contact allowed is calling
through a mobile device. Grim
recounts using Zoom to have
15-minute interactions with his
grandparents, even if they were
sedated.
This form of contact included
a
sobering
interaction
in
which Grim had to say his
final goodbyes to both of his
grandparents.
On college campuses, images
of college students partying
without wearing a mask or social
distancing have been prevalent.
LSA
sophomore
Junhyoung
Kwon said he thinks people aren’t
taking the pandemic seriously
due to lack of understanding of
COVID-19 and the consequences
of contracting the virus.
“If you hear about other
people getting affected, that
doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll
be able to … sympathize with
it unless it actually happens to
you,” Kwon said.
Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention guidelines to
combat the virus include wearing
a mask and social distancing at
least six feet apart, but these
recommendations
have
been
ignored by some individuals.
Grim said he feels outraged
when he sees people without
masks or not adhering to the
CDC
guidelines
to
combat
COVID-19.
“If
there’s
someone
not
wearing a mask, I think it’s just
so selfish, because it’s people like
that that probably spread it to my
grandparents,” Grim said. “And
so, for people to think, ‘I’m not
going to be hurt by it,’ that’s not
necessarily true … you could pass
it on to other people, especially
people
who
are
working,
especially older people, and it’s
just really selfish.”
People
who
show
no
symptoms may not feel the
detrimental effects of COVID-19
but can still spread it to others.
People who are asymptomatic
may not know if they have been
infected, and wearing a mask
regardless of showing symptoms
can prevent others from getting
infected.
LSA sophomore Sally Hwang
said she knows several people
who have tested positive for the
virus.
“It is so heartbreaking and
sad that there’s nothing you can
really do besides wait it out,”
Hwang said.
Despite
the
increasing
number of students on campus
testing positive for COVID-19,
Hwang expresses her frustration
when some students continue to
downplay the threat of the virus.
“I hear people outside of
this apartment partying every
single night next door and in
the building next to us,” Hwang
said. “It’s really disappointing,
because it honestly seems like
there’s not a lot of people taking
it seriously on campus, and I
really just feel like that brings
the reputation of the school
down.”
Grim, who is in his sixth year
as a doctoral candidate, notes
how his school life has been
impacted after the deaths of his
grandparents.
“Besides
impacting
my
family’s
life
and
my
life
significantly, it’s made it really
hard to do school work. It makes
it really hard to work on my
dissertation,” Grim said.
Grim said he hopes his story
will motivate others to take the
consequences of the pandemic
seriously.
“I really hope that from me
and my family sharing our story
about losing two really important
people, that maybe it might
personalize things for others so
that they take better care, if not
for themselves but for others,”
Grim said. “I would do anything
(to have) my grandmother back.”
Daily Staff Reporter Cynthia
Huang
can
be
reached
at
huangcyn@umich.edu.
As protesters took to the
streets across the nation to fight
police brutality and systemic
racism in the name of Black
Lives Matter this year, calls for
the abolishment of not only the
police but the larger criminal
justice
system
have
gained
momentum.
The
Michigan
Daily spoke with currently and
formerly
incarcerated
people
about their experiences in prison
and what the future of criminal
justice should look like.
Parallels between slavery
and the modern prison system
Dion “Bantu” Dawson, who
is
currently
incarcerated
in
Macomb Correctional Facility
in Michigan, has been in prison
for 18 years with a sentence
of natural life without the
possibility of parole. He is the
president of the Macomb Prison
branch of the NAACP. Dawson
said prisons are “designed to
contain and control the Black
body.”
Further,
Dawson
drew
parallels between slavery and
the prison system today, calling it
a “modern-day slave plantation.”
“There is almost an identical
system in place as it relates to
property relations between the
prisoner and the prisoner state
just as it was the slave and the
slave master,” Dawson said.
Dawson said there is an
inherent
violence
in
both
systems,
with
violence
so
common that it has become
normalized. In his time at
Macomb and previously at Ionia
Correctional Facility, Dawson
said he’s seen fellow inmates
beaten, suffocated and chained
to their beds.
“Both systems naturalize the
violence that they impose on
their subjects,” Dawson said.
“Prison staff, for example, find it
almost impossible not to subject
us to violence in the form of
threats. They have to always
instill this fear in us.”
Dawson also found similarities
between the aggression he’s
experienced in prison and police
brutality today.
“Just like Black men and
women today are being subjected
to police brutality, we are very
much subjected to brutality
as well by the correctional
officers,” Dawson said.
He also noted prison staff
feel a strong allegiance to their
fellow staff, which can lead
to increased intimidation and
violence against prisoners –– a
phenomenon also seen during
recent BLM protests and the
trials of police officers.
The illusion of autonomy in
prison
Lacino
Hamilton,
who
was released from prison in
September after being wrongly
convicted
of
murdering
his
foster mother, said he had very
little autonomy to make his own
choices. He was incarcerated for
26 years.
“It
was
dehumanizing
in the sense that it (prison)
micromanages down to a point
where
there’s
no
necessity
for thought,” Hamilton said.
“Everything is pre-programmed,
all decisions are stripped away.”
Another inmate at Macomb,
Gregory
Tyrone
Alexander,
who has been incarcerated for
23 years with a life sentence
without
parole,
echoed
Hamilton’s thoughts and said
autonomy in prison is an illusion.
“There’s
a
way
to
make
those who are being controlled
believe that we are somewhat in
control, and so we go about our
daily existence thinking that
the choices we make are solely
ours, but all along there is an
invisible hand who dictates our
movement, even our thought
process,” Alexander said.
Alexander said even his family
on the outside has experienced
small doses of the control the
criminal justice system exerts
— for example, when they call
for information or when they try
to send him material items for
support.
“There always seemed to be
a block, an obstacle, that had
to be traversed,” Alexander
said. “What they think to be
a simple gesture of support or
love was always blocked or put
some type of resistance on, so
as I said before, there’s a sense
of control which is somewhat
subtly applied to those who are
constantly within the system.
But for them (family on the
outside), since they don’t witness
it on a daily basis, when they
do experience it, it’s almost
shocking.”
The current movement for
abolition
While
there
may
be
similarities between the carceral
state and slavery, Hamilton said
it is not a productive comparison
and does not help modern day
social justice movements gain
momentum.
The prison system is violent
not because of the physical
violence
people
experience
inside, but because it violently
isolates
inmates
from
their
communities,
according
to
Hamilton.
“Prison is inherently violent
because it is a separation of a
person from their family, their
community,”
Hamilton
said.
“That’s
violent.
Everything
about it in that sense, so
everybody in prison experiences
violence.”
Alexander
addressed
the
racism he experienced growing
up in Battle Creek. At first, he
said he didn’t recognize the
systemic racism he faced, but
his perspective changed once he
was incarcerated.
“When
(racism)
is
subtly
applied, I think psychologically
we have a tendency to dismiss
it and almost are able to argue
that it is non-existent, and that
was my stance for a long time,”
Alexander said. “However, when
I started to be involved in the
criminal justice system, which
started before being imprisoned,
I was able to then understand
how race played a major role in
the trajectory of not only myself
but those who look like me and
so, experience life differently
than what others experience.”
Calls to abolish the police
and the prison system gained
traction over the summer, as
opposed to previous notions of
reforming the carceral state.
Dawson referred to reform as
“window-dressing” and said it
would not solve the problems.
Abolition is the only solution, he
said.
“(Abolition) isn’t just about
tearing structures down, but
also talking about building new
structures up,” Dawson said. “So
in that way, I think abolition is
about imagining a new world, a
more equitable world that isn’t
just about caging people.”
Hamilton
also
expressed
support
of
the
abolition
movement –– he said prisons
were designed to be “inherently
racist” and to make a profit, and
they are achieving that goal.
“I think a lot of times when we
say a system is broke, it means
it’s not benefiting someone,”
Hamilton said. “It’s broke, it’s not
working. I think that (the prison
system) only exists because
it benefits someone … I think
it is doing exactly what it was
designed to do, regardless of the
harm it does to communities.”
Alexander said, because of the
stigma around being currently
or formerly incarcerated, most
people do not take the time to
really listen to what inmates
have to say, but he encouraged
people to take it upon themselves
to do their own research and
find the “answers that are often
not given freely.”
“Incarcerated
women
and
men should not be identified
by probably one of the worst
mistakes they’ve ever made,
which is sometimes just a bad
decision, which we are often
identified by,” Alexander said.
“We
are
labeled
generally,
instead of individually, because
we are grouped as convicted
felons, and we are the group
of society that no one wants to
understand.”
Daily News Editor Emma Stein
can be reached at enstein@umich.
edu.
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
News
4 — Wednesday, November 18, 2020
Incarcerated people talk
future of criminal justice
DESIGN BY CAITLIN MARTENS
In light o f nationwide protests, abolition movement gains momentum
Students discuss losses
from ongoing pandemic
Lost lives prompt calls for social distancing, mask-wearing
After the Trump administration
proposed a new rule to increase
restrictions
on
international
student visas, Michigan Attorney
General Dana Nessel co-signed a
letter with 21 other state attorneys
general opposing the policy.
In a Friday press release, Nessel
condemned the proposed rule and
said the suggested timeline was
unrealistic.
“For decades we have allowed
international students to remain
in the U.S. until their studies are
completed, and this proposed rule
shows a blatant disregard for the
positive impacts these students
have on our economy and our
cultural diversity,” Nessel said in
a statement. “The reality for many
students is that obtaining a college
degree may not happen within four
years, so to propose a rule which
could limit that achievement and
stifle the value of a culturally
enriched experience within our
universities is damaging to the
U.S.’s reputation as a world leader.”
This follows multiple other
possible policy changes for these
visas from earlier this year. In
July, the Trump administration
tried to limit visas by requiring
new international students to
take in-person classes to stay
in the country, despite the fact
that most universities, including
the University of Michigan, had
moved classes online because of
the COVID-19 pandemic. After
multiple lawsuits, the policy was
rescinded.
If
enacted,
the
proposed
rule would significantly limit
international student visas, most
dramatically for students from 59
countries. Four of these countries
— Iran, North Korea, Sudan and
Syria — are included based on
claims from the Department of
Homeland Security that their
governments are state sponsors of
terrorism. The others are included
largely due to visa overstay rates
of more than 10% from last year’s
DHS report, with 36 of these
countries being in Sub-Saharan
Africa.
It would also limit the time for
which student visas are active,
making them apply for only two-
or four-year fixed terms, both for
under and post-grad programs.
As with U.S.-born students, many
international students take longer
than 2-to-4 years to complete their
education.
According to the letter from the
Attorney General’s Office, 53.2% of
all international students, of which
there are more than 700,000 in
total, were enrolled in bachelor’s
or Ph.D. programs in 2018 with a
minimum duration of four years.
Under the current policy, known
as “duration of status,” students
can generally stay in the U.S. for
as long as necessary to complete
their
educational
program,
assuming they remain enrolled
at an accredited institution and
are meeting general progress
requirements toward a degree.
If the new policy is enacted,
students will only be allowed
exceptions
to
the
rule
for
compelling
academic
reasons,
documented medical illnesses or
circumstances beyond students’
control.
Engineering junior Tony Pan,
an international student from
mainland China, said the four-
year time limit was too short, as
international students may face
additional challenges in finishing
their degree as quickly as U.S.-
based students, especially if they
are not fluent in English.
He said he has thought about
pursuing a Ph.D. in robotics in
the U.S. but does not know if
that would be possible under
this timeline, saying it would be
impossible to complete meaningful
research in that time frame. He
added that international students
also come from different cultural
backgrounds.
“Many (international students)
may not even have the exposure
like a lot of American students had
when they were in high school,”
Pan said. “Maybe they wanted
to explore (different subjects) for
the first year … Also, I really want
to mention: it takes a long time to
adapt to any environment with
culture shock.”
University
President
Mark
Schlissel, in a letter submitted to
DHS and co-signed by Provost
Susan
Collins,
opposed
the
proposed rule and asked for its
withdrawal.
Schlissel echoed claims that
the
timeline
was
unrealistic
and said it should be up to the
University to examine student
progress. He wrote the proposed
regulation represents a severe
misunderstanding of how higher
education in the U.S. works.
“All
of
our
students,
regardless of their country of
citizenship, should have the same
opportunities,” Schlissel wrote.
The University’s International
Center submitted a similar letter
on behalf of the University.
The
22
attorneys
general
provided numerous reasons to
abandon the proposed rule in
their letter, arguing it could cause
a sharp decline in international
student
enrollment,
as
only
41% of students at U.S. colleges
and universities complete their
bachelor’s degree within four
years.
In his letter, Schlissel explained
the importance of international
students’ contributions to the U.S.
“Although the United States
long has been the top destination
for
international
students,
scholars and faculty, there has
been a nationwide decline in their
numbers over the past few years,
and this proposed regulation
would undoubtedly result in a
further decline,” Schlissel wrote.
AG Nessel co-signs letter
opposing visa restrictions
Document condemns proposal to limit international students in U.S.
EMMA RUBERG
Daily Staff Reporter
Read more at
MichiganDaily.com
EMMA STEIN
Daily News Editor
CYNTHIA HUANG
Daily Staff Reporter