Photos: Healthcare workers are hitting the streets in New York City to support Black Lives Matter protests

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Gabby LandsverkJun 6, 2020, 02:21 IST
Photos: Healthcare workers are hitting the streets in New York City to support Black Lives Matter protests

Nurses and healthcare workers attend a Black Lives Matter rally in front of Bellevue Hospital on June 4, 2020, in New York City.Johannes Eisele/AFP/Getty Images

  • Over the past week, protests against police brutality have been held around the world to speak out against racism in policing after the death of George Floyd.
  • Doctors, nurses and other healthcare workers are among those joining the civil actions, both to provide aid to fellow demonstrators and to make their own voices heard.
  • Public health experts have spoken in support of the protests since although there is the risk of furthering the spread of the novel coronavirus.
  • "White supremacy is a lethal public health issue that predates and contributes to COVID-19," read a petition signed by over 1,000 public health experts.
  • Here are images from one such protest in front of Bellevue Hospital in New York City on June 4.
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Racism is a public health issue.

Racism is a public health issue.
Nurses and healthcare workers attend a Black Lives Matter rally in front of Bellevue Hospital on June 4, 2020, in New York City. Johannes Eisele/AFP/Getty Images

On June 4, hundreds of healthcare workers from New York City's Bellevue Hospital congregated outside in a show of solidarity with those protesting against racial injustice nationwide.

They knelt in recognition of the recent death of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police officers, but also spoke up about the daily impact of racism, including during the current viral pandemic, The City reported.

Police violence disproportionately affects people of color.

Police violence disproportionately affects people of color.
Nurses and healthcare workers attend a Black Lives Matter rally in front of Bellevue Hospital on June 4, 2020, in New York City. Johannes Eisele/AFP/Getty Images

Protesters chanted "Black Lives Matter" at the demonstration to call attention not only to Floyd but to the long list of Black Americans before him who have been killed with impunity, by police and others, including Breonna Taylor, Jamar Clark, Philando Castile, and Trayvon Martin.

"One in every 1,000 Black men and boys can expect to be killed by police in this country," Dr. Maia Majumder, an epidemiologist at Harvard Medical School, told Vox. "To me, this clearly illustrates why police brutality is a public health problem; anything that causes mortality at such a scale is a public health problem."

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COVID-19 also disproportionately affects people of color.

COVID-19 also disproportionately affects people of color.
Nurses and healthcare workers attend a Black Lives Matter rally in front of Bellevue Hospital on June 4, 2020, in New York City. Johannes Eisele/AFP/Getty Images

Racism includes a wide range of systemic inequalities including in socioeconomic status and healthcare. One consequence of this is that people of color have been disproportionately impacted by the novel coronavirus.

Certain police tactics, like tear gas and other respirator illness, can also increase the risks of coronavirus.

Certain police tactics, like tear gas and other respirator illness, can also increase the risks of coronavirus.
Nurses and healthcare workers attend a Black Lives Matter rally in front of Bellevue Hospital on June 4, 2020, in New York City. Johannes Eisele/AFP/Getty Images

Healthcare workers are also rallying because police use of force can exacerbate the risks of the current pandemic — mass arrests and tear gas, which causes coughing and disorientation, can both increase the risks of viral transmission.

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Protesting outdoors is risky, but masks and hand sanitizer can help mitigate possible viral spread.

Protesting outdoors is risky, but masks and hand sanitizer can help mitigate possible viral spread.
Nurses and healthcare workers attend a Black Lives Matter rally in front of Bellevue Hospital on June 4, 2020, in New York City. Johannes Eisele/AFP/Getty Images

Medical professionals who are protesting have said they take precautions, including changing clothes and scrubbing down immediately afterward.

"It's about making sure you're prepared and cautious," said Dr. Ernest Brown, a family medicine physician in Washington, DC.

Some experts have expressed concerns about viral spread at protests, but healthcare workers have said the risk is justified.

Some experts have expressed concerns about viral spread at protests, but healthcare workers have said the risk is justified.
Nurses and healthcare workers attend a Black Lives Matter rally in front of Bellevue Hospital on June 4, 2020, in New York City. Johannes Eisele/AFP/Getty Images

"People fighting injustice are fighting because lives are at stake," Dr. Arjun Arya, who works in emergency medicine at Hennepin Healthcare in Minneapolis, Minnesota, previously told Insider.

"If you're so vocal about COVID but not anti-racism, there's a divide that you need to reflect on."

Read more:

Doctors and nurses are on the front lines of protests despite the coronavirus: 'Racism has been killing our patients since the hospital was built'

Some public health experts support protests in spite of the coronavirus risks: 'White supremacy is a lethal public health issue'

Tear gas is banned from war — but police still shoot it at protesters, who cough and bleed as a result. At least one has lost an eye.

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