Stevenson Ranch Residents Face a Mask Dilemma
Noelle Keany has spent a lot of her days in the past months hooking people up to ventilators, pumping them up with the maximum amount of oxygen, and just hoping for the best. She then leaves the hospital to meet the sight of people hanging out in groups and wearing masks around their necks or below the nose. As a front line medical worker, she has witnessed the devastating effects of COVID-19 first hand. In Santa Clarita and more specifically in Stevenson Ranch it is not uncommon to see people avoiding masks or simply wearing them wrong to the point where they lose all effectiveness.
Masks have not only been politicized at the national level, smaller communities like Stevenson Ranch face the debate as well. Across the country there are still many cities and states that have not imposed a mask mandate and there is a growing number of the population who are against masks. The topic of face masks was even brought up in the first presidential debate. The only local coverage that I have seen have been hard news stories about mask mandates, but nothing about the debate among residents when it comes to wearing face masks.
I want to engage in my community in the most effective way possible. I still believe that in person, zoom, or even phone calls are more personal ways to connect with someone, since just hearing the tone of their voice can go a long way. This pandemic has affected virtually everybody, so finding people in the community that are willing to tell their stories is not as difficult. I want to reach out to different parts of the community, from healthcare workers, to store employees as well as just regular people who maybe just leave their house only to buy groceries.
Stevenson Ranch is a relatively small community, so even reaching out to my inner circle has allowed me to network and connect with people from the community that I do not know, but are still willing to share their stories. Even something simple like going to a park, and speaking to random residents (at an appropriate distance) has so far been effective. A method on the Post collective that I would like to incorporate in my reporting, is the use of public signs that give people information on how to contact me and potentially tell their story. This is something that I have not done in previous projects.
There are certain demographics of Stevenson Ranch that I want to make sure that I cover. A large portion of the community is made up of families, more specifically middle aged people and their kids. The average age of the community is 40 according to the Census Reporter. Teenagers make up the second highest demographic behind people aged 40–59. I do not want to leave out the smaller portion of young adults in the community
One other thing to touch on is the wealth in the community. People that may have more money are more likely to have healthcare. I want to see if there is a connection between their mask stance and whether or not they have access to health care.
The questions of why or why not they wear a mask have so far all received similar responses so I will likely scrap those. I will be asking them to recall the moment they fully realized the seriousness of the virus as well as asking them if they remember and what it felt like to put on a mask in public for the first time. In the initial interviews most people are able to recall and many mention how it felt like a real transitional period. I want to be as personal as I can.
The way I want to execute the report is through the use of photos and direct quotes. I want to give each person I interview a chance to tell their story. I imagine that it would be in a similar format to “Walkout Generation.” I believe this is a good outline to follow. The people could provide photos or I could take them myself. So far I have received perspectives of a of many different people. Stories from the people I have interviewed so far (like the grocery store worker and the COVID nurse for example) would be displayed. They will tell the story.
