The Daily Show: Ears Edition - ICYMI - Keisha Lance Bottoms on Speaking Out Against Reopening Georgia

Episode Date: January 4, 2021

Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms argues Georgia Governor Brian Kemp's decision to reopen the state's economy is premature and counterproductive. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

You're listening to Comedy Central. When 60 Minutes premiered in September 1968, there was nothing like it. This is 60 Minutes. It's a kind of a magazine for television. Very few have been given access to the treasures in our archives. But that's all about to change. Like none of this stuff gets looked at. That's what's incredible. I'm Seth Done of CBS News. Listen to 60 Min Like, none of this stuff gets looked at. That's what's incredible. I'm Seth Done of CBS News. Listen to 60 Minutes, a second look on Apple podcasts starting September 17.

May Ikeisha, Lance Bottoms, thank you so much for joining us on the daily social distancing show. Thank you for having me. It's an honor to join you. It's an interesting time, specifically in Georgia right now, because you have a governor who has decided to be, in many ways, the pilot program for America opening up, way sooner than a lot of people thought any places should open up.

You have come out and have been very vocal against camp opening up the state of Georgia, but you're the mayor of Atlanta. Tell us why you're so against this, even though the governor says he's considered it and he thinks it's time for Georgia to reopen. You know, the irony of this is that the governor and I have a very good working relationship. He's a Republican governor. I am, of course, a Democrat. And so we crossed the out quite a bit to work together. But this is something that I feel very strongly about, because lives are at stake. And I would say repeatedly, and I'll say it again, this is one that I hope that I'm wrong on this and that he's right. Because if he's wrong, people will die. And this is can't remain silent in speaking up against what I think is a premature decision to allow our state to open back up. And to. their their their their their th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, because, th, because th, because th, because th, because th, th, because th, th, thi thi, thi, thi, thi, to thi, to thi's lives thi's lives thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, because lives lives lives lives lives lives lives lives lives lives lives lives lives lives lives lives lives lives lives lives lives lives lives lives lives lives lives lives lives lives lives lives lives, because thi thi, because thi thi thi, because thi thi thi to thi to to thi to to to to to to to to to to to to to thi to to to thi to thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi speaking up against what I think is a premature decision to allow our state to open back up and continue business as usual.

Bowling alleys, movie theaters, there's nothing essential about those businesses. And I understand there's a huge economic strain on so many business owners, and that's very real. But we're balancing that in life, literally, and we don't get to pick and choose who gets infected and how severe their illness will be, and when one person is infected, then it's an entire community. And that's, and I've spoken up against the governor on this. Now, many people who support the governor or the governor himself have argued that opening up states like Georgia isn't as bad as it may be in a place like New York because people are able to maintain a certain level of distance between each other. They've argued that people can still be responsible even though the states have opened up. Do you think that there's a balance between the two worlds or do you think

that this is something that wasn't thought out enough before jumping into action? Absolutely not. And that's why I was so frustrating that the governor didn't defer to local control and local decision making on this. Because Atlanta is a part of a larger metropolitan area so we have about 500,000 residents in Atlanta but the metropolitan Atlanta area is around six million people that's that's a lot of people in a very small space and so you know this notion that we are Georgia of 1920, it's not realistic.

We are a major American city. We have the world's busiest airport. And so it's not possible for us to completely separate and distance ourselves. And when you talk about barbershops and hair salons, specifically communities of color, there's one on every single corner. And I've read an article today that southern states are bearing the brunt and will bear the brunt of COVID-19 in a way that will be unprecedented compared to the rest of the country. In large part, because of the underlying health conditions, the poverty rates and all of these things, that there, there there there there, there, there, there, there, there, there, there, there, there, there, there, there, there, there, there, there, there, there, there, there, there, there, there, there, there, there, there, there, there, there, there, there, there, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th th th th th th th thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, the the the the the the the there's one one one one one one one one one one the the the their the the the the thi, health conditions, the poverty rates and all

of these things that are making this disease more deadly. And it concerns me deeply, but we will know in the next two to four weeks if this social slash health experiment was a brilliant idea or if it was the absolute worst thing that could have happened. Now you are the mayor worst thing that could have happened? Now, you are the mayor of Atlanta, so obviously you're in a tricky situation or in a tricky spot because the governor has issued these orders and then you also have power as a mayor. Where do you think your power ends and where do you think his begins? Because you're trying to figure out who to listen to? If somebody's a resident of Georgia, if they're a a their a their a their a their a their a their a their a their a their a their a their a their a their a their a their a their a their a their a their a their a their their their thoera you're trying to figure out who to listen to.

If somebody's a resident of Georgia, if they're a resident of Atlanta, they have the two of you, but they're trying to figure out who to listen to. How do you think people should navigate that for themselves? Well, this is something I'm navigating for myself. He is the governor and he has authority throughout the thapapapapapape. th. th th th th th th th th th th th th th th th th th th th th th th th th th th th th th th th th th th the. the. their th the of their their the. thoes. thoes. their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their. And he is. And he is. And he is. And he is. And he. And he is their, their, their, their, their, their, th. th. th the. the. thean. toean. tean. tha. tha. thau. th. th. thean. th. th. their, their, their, their, he went out of his way to say that his orders would take precedence over anything that we could do locally, but I have the power of my voice. It's the reason that I'm talking with you. It's the reason I've been speaking every opportunity that I get to let people know that I disagree with this order. And I know in Atlanta, where we are a dense community, where there are a number of people of color,

that this could be catastrophic for our community. I think that it's wrong. You have people who are on one side of the arguments who have been saying, you know, places like nail salons, barber shops, etc. don't need to be open. There have been people who frequent those places or people who own them or work in them who say yes but these are the small businesses that are the lifeblood of many of our small communities and you're in a unique position because your mom owned a nail salon. So you know you were raised in that world in that ecosystem for yourself. So if you were speaking to somebody who works in one and they say to you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you are their, you are their, you are their, you, you are their, you are their, you, you, you, you are their, you are, you, you are, you are, you are, you are, you, you, you are, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you are the the the the the the the the the their, you, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their their their th, tho, tho, tho, tho, tho, tho, tho, tho, tho, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi speaking to somebody who works in one, and they say to you, you know,

Mayer, I completely hear what you're saying, but I need to earn money now, I need to get back out there so that I can pay my bills. What would you say to them? Well, and actually it was a hair salon that my mother owned to me often, you have to live to fight another day. This would have been devastating for our family because my mother was a single parent and we relied heavily and solely on what she brought into our household for a very long

period of time. So I get it, I understand it. But I also know there would have been nothing more important to me as a child and to my mother as the bread winner in our household, that she be healthy and whole. And what I continue to look at is history. We've been through the Great Depression, we've been through recessions, we've been through pandemics in this nation, and generations have gotten to the other side of it. It wasn't always comfortable and it wasn't all, but when you exercise good sense and when you just stay focused on what the end goal is, I know that we'll get to the other side of it. And what we know looking at countries across the globe is that the way that they've been get to the other side of it. And what we know looking at countries across the globe

is that the way that they've been able to flatten their numbers is to be very deliberate in keeping people separated. And our numbers in this state are continuing to rise daily. Our deaf rates are continuing to rise, and we aren't testing people. And we may have beds to offer to people, but it's like we're saying the people people, the people, the people, the people, the people, the people, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, that, that, that, that, that, that, that, that, that, that, that, that, that we're that, that we that we that we that we that we that we that we that we that, that, that, that we that, that, that, that, that, that, that, that, that we, that, that we that we that, that we that, that we that we that we that that that that that that that that th, the, the, the, the, the, the, theathea, theathea, theathea, theat, theat, theat, theat, theat, that, that, that, that's that's that we may have beds to offer to people, but it's like we're saying to people, yeah, go bowling and if you get sick, I have a bed for you. That makes no sense to me. What would you recommend to people in terms of reopening, when would they go out? Because some people feel like there's no light at the end of this tunnel, and so some may say, well, I understand that now's not the right time,

but when would you think the right time should be or could be? I think we just have to wait a few more weeks. And we can look at what's happening in New York. We can look at what's happened in Washington, and we can look at other places and see that th, th, th, and we can look at other places and see that there is light at the end of the tunnel if you stay the course. But we are not giving ourselves an opportunity to even get a glimpse of the light because we're taking five steps backwards. And I think that's why it's incumbent upon us as leaders. You've got to be able to put money in people's pockets.

You have to make it easy for these small businesses to access loans. I was looking at an interview with a barber who said, I know I'm putting my health at risk. If I had money in my pocket, if I had gotten one of those small business loans, I would not have enough. That's a very bad situation and choice that we are making people have to balance. And so I think our energy as leaders is better spent not rushing to open up to figure out ways like we are doing in Atlanta. We started a cosmetology relief fund. We're asking people to contribute to that fund.

Take that $15 or $50 you would have spent getting your hair done, put it in that relief fund so we can put some money in people's pockets so they don't have to choose between their life and opening up their business. Yeah, it really is a tough choice that people have to make right now, because even though it's only been for many people a month. It feels like there's no end in sites and so they have to start preparing for the worst because most people are only one paycheck away from not being able to afford their lives. As the mayor I know

you have limited power, but is there anything that the city of Atlanta is or can do right now or is there anything you wish the federal government would be focusing on more to help residents of cities like yours? so we're going to continue to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to the the the the to to the to the the to to to the the the the the the tho to to to to the the the the the the the the the the the the their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their the the the the the the the the the. thiii. thi. thi. the. the. thean. thean.ean.ea.ea.ea.ea.ea.ea.ea. toea.ea. thea. thea. thea. thean. thean. to help residents of cities like yours. So we're going to continue to do what we've been doing in Atlanta to ensure that we can provide services to our residents. I just send out a robo-call to our senior residents on today, encouraging them to sign up for our food delivery program. We're already providing food to our students. We're also, we also have a small business loan program that we hope to our students. We also have a small business loan program

that we hope to expand. I mentioned the beauty and barbershop relief fund. And so we're trying to be creative in that way. We've suspended water payments in the city of Atlanta so that people don't have to at least worry about running water. I think those are the things we have to be creative with. And then I'll continue to talk talk talk talk to to to talk to to to to the health the health the health the health the health and then I'll continue to talk to the health experts and follow their recommendations. I'm not a medical professional. So my decision-making is based on what is being related to me as science and data. And when I

look at the data, I see that our numbers are still rising. Now look at the science and science is clear. You have to socially distance yourself. So that's what we will continue to do and I'll continue to consult with our public health experts and see if there is anything else that we can do in this city to make it easier for people who stay home during this time. Well Mayor, thank you so much for your time. I wish you the the best the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the their. Ss. Siocea. Siocea. Siocea. Scance. Sc. Sc. Sc, the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the teauuauauauauauauauceauauauau.ceneau. teau.c. teau.s.s. tea. the t stay home during this time. May I thank you so much for your time. I wish you the best and hopefully, as you said, the governor is right as opposed to him being wrong, but we'll see how the story ends.

Thank you so much for joining us. Thank you for having me. The Daily Show with Trevor Noa, Ears Edition, watch the daily show weeknights at 11, 10 Central on Comedy Central and the Comedy Central app. Watch full episodes and videos at the Daily Show.com. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, and subscribe to the Daily Show on YouTube for exclusive content and more. When 60 Minutes premiered in September 1968, there was nothing like it. This is 60 Minutes. It's a kind of a magazine for television.

Very few have been given access to the treasures in our archives. You're rolling? But that's all about to change. Like, none of this stuff gets looked at. That's what's incredible. I'm Seth Done of CBS News. Listen to 60 minutes, a second look. Starting September 17th, wherever. th. th. th. th. th. th.. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. thi-I thi-I-I-I-I's thi-a-up-a-a-a-a-a-a-s. th-s. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th-s-s-s-s-s-s-s-s-s-s. the-s. the-s. thea-s. thea-s. the-s. the- starting September 17th, wherever you get your podcasts.

This has been a Comedy Central Podcast.