Not like it’s an anomaly, but COVID-19 really highlights the structural inequality and racism of the place that I call home: Marin County. Pursuing the excellent @maringov Coronavirus surveillance site today shows the following:

Cases are rising rapidly. Growing about 5% per day.

But this rapid increase since late May is the opposite of uniform across the county. One hears rumor and hushed conversation about how “there have been outbreaks among the employees at the Blithedale Whole Foods!” Etc.

Reality is that Coronavirus case growth is a map of poverty and racial segregation. There are two epicenters of disease in Marin: The Canal District of San Rafael, a highish density area with multi unit low income housing (where those WF employees live) and San Quentin Prison.

We need to do infinitely better than this as a society (and as a County). In particular, we need to start building more high quality housing for the working families that form the bedrock of California (and America) in all the best school districts.

This doesn’t happen in Marin because rich folks don’t want their kids going to school with brown and black people (school districts are highly fragmented).

What makes me ashamed of where I live is mapped in Coronavirus surveillance.

My Juneteenth resolutions are to go get kicked off of next door for supporting affordable housing in my school district and then to hit as many planning commission meetings as I can even if I can’t put my kids to bed quite as often as a result. It’s not enough. But it’s a start.