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I am interested in seeing how social ties and networks have been used to cope with (un)natural disasters. My research focus on places under disasters conditions such as Puerto Rico after hurricane Maria, in which social ties have made the difference between life and death. Furthermore, “natural” disaster has been used to approved austerity measures and unjust policies to impoverished communities like in New Orleans after Katrina. These policies were not new, as they are rooted in structures of power to preserve the status quo. Yet, people have resisted, “through a network of branches, cultures, and geographies” that has stimulated a reflective process of looking within for solutions rather than outside. As often this outside solutions are not only detached from community’s reality but can perpetuate social injustices and inequalities.

McKittrick, K., & Woods, C. A. (Eds.). (2007). Black geographies and the politics of place. South End Press.

Bullard, R. D., & Wright, B. (Eds.). (2009). Race, place, and environmental justice after Hurricane Katrina: Struggles to reclaim, rebuild, and revitalize New Orleans and the Gulf Coast. Westview Press.

I found the images of futility and violance in this film to be most compelling, especially when police forces were turned against the people, and a person was shot in the leg, causing an apparent open fracture, which he later succumbed to. The images of death and effected children were obviously used in this film to tug at "heartstrings" to promote an emotional response.

This report has a massive implication for technical professionals in the medical field, creating an entirely new certification for health care practitioners to hold and work with. 

The mission statement of the Center for Prisioner Health and Human Rights is as follows:

"The Center for Prisoner Health and Human Rights seeks to improve the health and human rights of criminal justice populations through education, research, and advocacy."

The center's directors, members, and volunteers establish specific priorities on how this mission is going to be approached. Their current focuses as stated on their website are as follows:

– To bring attention to the health and healthcare issues and challenges of prisoners and other criminal justice populations.
– To improve the continuum of care for prisoners from admission to a correctional facility through release, including improving healthcare access and opportunities for criminal justice populations in the community.
– To advance policies and programs that promote both public health oriented approaches to mental illness, addiction, and substance use and [alternatives to][less reliance on] incarceration and the criminal justice system.
– To engage students and health professionals in the Center’s mission with training and education opportunities, and by providing students with practical experiences working directly on concrete issues, problems, and challenges.