01/25/2026
For my daughter, nurse and hero Sofia!
The recent convergence of nurse strikes, the uprisings in Minneapolis following the death of Alex Pretti, the mistreatment of migrants, and persistent racial profiling all point to a single systemic failure: a health care and public safety infrastructure that responds only after harm has already occurred. Nurses strike not out of disregard for patients, but because chronic understaffing, unsafe ratios, and moral injury make meaningful care impossible. These same structural inequities disproportionately harm marginalized communities, where racial profiling, delayed care, and barriers to access result in preventable deterioration of health conditions. Migrants, in particular, experience delayed or denied treatment due to fear, discrimination, or lack of access—often arriving in emergency rooms only when conditions have become critical. This delay of care not only increases ER visits but overwhelms already strained emergency systems, further compounding burnout among health care workers.
Public unrest, like the riots in Minneapolis, does not occur in isolation; it reflects long-standing neglect, trauma, and institutional failures that have gone unaddressed. Public health saves lives precisely because it intervenes upstream—before crisis, before emergency, before death. Investing in public health infrastructure, preventative care, and equitable access is not only more humane but far more effective and cost-efficient than relying on emergency response after damage is done. Waiting for emergencies is a policy choice, and history shows it is one that costs lives—particularly the lives of the most vulnerable.
Rest in POWER
Alex Pretti, 1/25/26, Minneapolis, MN
Renee Good, 1/7/26, Minneapolis, MN
Keith Porter, 12/31/25, Los Angeles, CA
Silvero Villegas-Gonzalez, 9/12/25, Franklin Park, IL
Jaime Alanís Garcia, 7/10/25, Camarillo, CA